Palm oil is a versatile substance used in a wide range of products from foods to cosmetics. The trouble with it is that the cultivation of oil palm trees has caused massive enviromental harm, especially in Malaysia and Indonesia, which together account for 85% of palm oil production in the world.
But scientists from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and the University of Malaya in Malaysia say they have an answer as to how we can wean ourselves off palm oil.
Article written by Daniel T. Cross and originally published in Sustainability Times under a Creative Commons licence.
But scientists from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and the University of Malaya in Malaysia say they have an answer as to how we can wean ourselves off palm oil.
The researchers have extracted edible oils from a common strain of microalgae that have similar properties to palm oil but contain fewer saturated fatty acids. That feature will have health benefits as saturated fats raise levels of LDL cholesterol in our blood, thereby increasing the risk of heart disease.
Better yet: these microalgae can be cultivated at scale, obviating the need for further deforestation to plant yet more oil palms.
Better yet: these microalgae can be cultivated at scale, obviating the need for further deforestation to plant yet more oil palms.
[Pictured] Spirulina algae by Madeleine Steinback on Getty Images
At the same time, the researchers have developed a relatively simple technique to replace the microalgae culture medium with fermented soybean residues while improving microalgae biomass yields. After two weeks the cultured microalgae is washed and dried before being treated with methanol to break down the bonds between the oils and the algae protein. That enables the oils to be extracted through an environmentally friendly processing technology also devised by the scientists.
For a standard 100-gram bar of chocolate, for instance, 160 grams of microalgae would suffice in providing the oil, the scientists say.
“Uncovering this as a potential human food source is an opportunity to lessen the impact the food supply chain has on our planet,” stresses William Chen, director of NTU’s Food Science and Technology Program and head of the research team, who published their findings in a study.
“Our solution is a three-pronged approach to solving three pressing issues. We are capitalising on the concept of establishing a circular economy, finding uses for would-be waste products and re-injecting them into the food chain, Chen explains.
“In this case, we rely on one of nature’s key processes, fermentation, to convert that organic matter into nutrient-rich solutions, which could be used to cultivate algae, which not only reduces our reliance on palm oil, but keeps carbon out of the atmosphere,” the scientist adds.
The reseachers are working on fine-tuning their methods to improve the yield and quality of oils extracted from microalgae and are expecting their inventions to become commercially viable in a couple of years.
Such initiatives aimed at replacing palm oil with greener substitutes cannot come soon enough as deforestation in Sumatra, Borneo and elsewhere in Indonesia and Malaysia have reached massive proportions with huge environmental costs. Critically endangered endemic species such as orangutans and Sumatran rhinos have been pushed by habitat loss to the very edge of extinction.
“If the current destruction of the rainforest continues, then I have absolutely no hope that any orangutans will remain in the wild,” warns Alan Knight, chief executive of the conservationist group International Animal Rescue. “I would probably say 10 years if we cannot stop the destruction. I think the Sumatran [orangutan] will go before then if they don’t sort out the situation they are in.”
Although orangutan populations in the interiors of remaining forests have remained stable, they have been declining to varying degrees in patches of forest interspersed by oil palm plantations, which are a primary source of revenue for Malaysia.
At the same time, Indonesia, the world’s top palm oil producer, is stepping up its plans to ship millions of tons of crude palm oil and its derivatives after a self-imposed three-week ban on exports in May to tackle domestic shortages. As the global market continues being flooded by palm oil, rainforests in Indonesia and Malaysia remain at grave risk of being fragmented further.
In order to give these remaining forests and rare, endangered forest-dwelling species of plants and animals a fighting chance at survival, we’ll need to find eco-friendly substitutes to palm oil as soon as possible.
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Locations: Brazil (Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Minas Gerais)
Buffy-tufted-ear Marmosets have dramatically rimmed eyes giving them a delightful “Gothic appearance. These enchanting and charismatic #monkeys live deep in the forests of a tiny area of #Brazil. Buffy-tufted-ear #Marmosets are also known as buffy tufted-ear mamosets or the white-eared marmosets. They are New World monkeys living in a geographically isolated region in the Atlantic coast that has been decimated for #palmoil, #soy and #cattle ranching agriculture and #goldmining. Help them every time you shop and be #vegan, #Boycottpalmoil and #Boycott4Wildlife!
The Buffy-tufted-ear Marmoset slightly resemble Common Marmosets although they have shorter ear tufts than other marmosets and have a vivid and striking skull-like colouration on their faces, along with a brown crown and grey-black fur across their bodies. On average they weigh only 300 grams.
They have short snouts and flat noses with intense yellow eyes and a downturned mouth suggesting an attitude of eternal dissatisfaction.
“They generally live in small social groups numbering between 2-8 individuals and consist of a dominant breeding pair. Their juvenile offspring typically will remain in the family group until adulthood to assist their parents with the care of newborn infants.” ~ Earth.org.
They are arboreal and live almost all of their lives in the tree canopies – making them particularly vulnerable to deforestation for palm oil, soy, cattle ranching and mining in Brazil.
Threats
The widespread destruction of forests within this marmoset’s range, especially along the valley of the Rio Paraiba and in the lowland forests are a major threat to the Buffy-tufted-ear Marmoset.
They may remain in some areas of the lowland forest of Rio de Janeiro (Mambucaba, Angra dos Reis), but is considered extinct in lowland forests of São Paulo State (Brandão and Develey 1998).
Their traditional home the (once vast) Atlantic rainforest is now mostly destroyed with only 7% remaining standing in Brazil – what remains is severely fragmented. Other than deforestation for palm oil, soy and cattle ranching, they face a panoply of other threats including:
Hybridisation and interbreeding with other marmoset species.
Habitat
They are endemic to the states of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro of southeastern Brazil, within their montane rainforests of the inland plateau, at chilly dry-season altitudes of up to 1,300 metres. Buffy-tufted-ear marmoset populations inhabit these montane forests, with a few outlying populations in the foothills or lowland coastal forests.
Diet
They mostly feed on insects and occasionally flowering plants like fungi, cacti, soursops and legumes and invertebrates. If food is scarce they have been known to opportunistically hunt for small reptiles, amphibians, and small birds which they catch with their long claws before dispatching with a swift bite to the head.
As the forest disappears their food resources are stretched and they face competition from other species for food sources.
Mating and breeding
Buffy-tufted-ear Marmosets are greatly understudied and under-observed. Therefore little is known about their mating and reproduction. Their gestation period lasts around 170 days and there are typically fraternal offspring.
Buffy-tufted-ear marmosets have no formal protections in place and they need your help. Every time you shop, buy #vegan and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
There are no known formal conservation activities in place for this animal. Make sure that you #Boycottpalmoil and #Boycott4Wildlife in the supermarket and raise awareness of the plight of beautiful animals in order to support their survival! Find out more here
Further Information
de Melo, F.R., Port-Carvalho, M., Pereira, D.G., Ruiz-Miranda, C.R., Ferraz, D.S., Bicca-Marques, J.C., Jerusalinsky, L., Oliveira, L.C., Valença-Montenegro, M.M., Valle, R.R., da Cunha, R.G.T. & Mittermeier, R.A. 2021. Callithrix aurita (amended version of 2020 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T3570A191700629. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T3570A191700629.en. Accessed on 12 September 2022.
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil#Boycott4Wildlife.
2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
More and more palm oil free 🦧 products in Australia 🇦🇺. Customer awareness is increasing month by month. Of course Bart Van Assen will keep pushing "sustainable" palm oil with Orangutan Land Trust. Boycott palm oil to protect wildlife! There is not planet B #boycott4wildlifepic.twitter.com/rm7chub5Rb
If possible to get Ovomaltine, please promote it among your friends. It openly advertises with 0 palm oil. No RSPO no bullshit. For me it even tasts better than nuttela. It substantiates that chocolate spread can be made delicious without filthy palm oil. pic.twitter.com/cyV5Tm3tLd
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
A lone Dayak village in Borneo surrounded by palm oil plantations has held out for 14 years and resisted corporate infiltration by global palm oil giants. My name is Dr Setia Budhi, I am a Dayak ethnographer and human rights advocate. I visited this village recently to see how they were going.
Pictured: The Barito River, the largest river in South Kalimantan Borneo by Aditya Perdana, Getty Images
Recently, I stayed a Ngaju Dayak village for 15 days
During my visit I wrote a lot, chatted with villagers and visited palm oil farmers.
This remote village is 125 km from downtown Banjarmasin. It’s a distance of about two hours by motorbike to arrive in a neighboring village and from then there, three hours by boat.
Located on the banks of the Barito river, the people who live here are the Ngaju Dayak.
Pictured: Dayak long house in Kalimantan, PxFuel.
The first time I visited this village was 14 years ago in 2008
Since then, I’ve always followed its development by reading the news. Especially interesting is the development that the villagers have refused the presence of palm oil plantations. They have refused to give up their lands to global corporate palm oil companies.
Fourteen years ago, I thought that this village would eventually be besieged by the expansion of oil palm plantations. My suspicions were based on what happened in neighbouring villages. They had given up and accepted the omnipresence of palm oil. Many residents sold their land to the plantations.
In these other towns, some residents work with palm oil companies in a cooperative way. Their land is planted with palm oil and they, as owners, work for the company for wages. Their activities include land-clearing, planting palm oil, along with fertilising and liming the soil.
So these people work on their own land. At that time, their daily wages are around 50,000 rupiahs ($3.30 USD) per day.
Pictured: Klotok traditional river boat on a river in Borneo by Guenterguni Getty Images
There are three reasons why the villagers do not want their ancestral lands to become a palm oil plantation:
1. They depend on the rainforest and peatlands for natural resources such as fisheries, agriculture and rattan weaving.
2. They don’t want their roaming area to be disturbed.
3. They don’t want to lose their land.
By roaming area‟ you probably think of a suburban area near you. For Dayaks, their roaming area is vastly different.
Clockwise: The Barito River: The largest river in South Kalimantan Borneo by Aditya Perdana Getty Images; Wooden Dayak village – Long Iram on the riverbank Mahakam river East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Getty Images; Nature in Annah Rais Sarawak, Malaysia by Nyiragongo Getty Images; Barito River -The largest river in South Kalimantan, Indonesia by Aditya Perdana Getty Images; Borneo’s spectacular rivers and rainforests; Getty Images; A group of beautiful Dayak Fruit Bats Dyacopterus spadiceus perched inside a hut at the Way Kambas National Park in Sumatra via Getty Images Signature collection.
The Dayak people need a roaming area for hunting, fishing and foraging for herbs, building materials and medicines
Pictured: Dayak family, Central Kalimantan by IndoMet licensed under CC BY 2.0
The palm oil industry is an unstoppable global corporate juggernaut that has become increasingly greedy for land in the past ten years.
When you hear about even a tiny piece of land that is about to be sold, global palm oil companies immediately and aggressively go after the land as buyers. They bargain and negotiate, driving the price down that they pay for the land – so the traditional landowners do not get paid what the land is really worth.
Pictured: Plasma Poverty, a joint investigation by Gecko Project and the BBC into major supermarket brands like Mondelez and Nestle (RSPO members) who are stripping smallholder farmers of their share of profitfor palm oil.
To read the news in Indonesia and Malaysia is to read brazen lies and greenwashing about palm oil
Reading news about palm oil is an astonishing experience that will fill you with confusion and incredulity. Your newsfeed will be brimming with stories about the greatness of oil palm and the welfare of farmers.
Palm oil is considered “good” in a neoliberal sense of the financial and economic growth that it brings here as a country. Also palm oil is considered “good” as an environmentally-friendly and healthy ingredient for all to buy and consume.
There is a flood of greenwashing news across all media channels: TV, online media, and social media channels celebrating the virtues of this enormously destructive ingredient. This false narrative emphasises palm oil as a method of “care for the environment‟.
For this reason, nowadays I choose to distance myself from social media, as this content is dishonest about what palm oil is in reality.
“Many of us grow rice, fruits and vegetables on our indigenous lands for survival and depend on the cash sales from oil palm fruits to buy what we cannot grow. Our oil palm trees empower us as indigenous peoples.”
The reality of palm oil is vastly different for Dayak peoples
Reports carried out by news media in Borneo simulate the facts about the real events and the detrimental impact of palm oil on Dayak communities.
We as the audience must remain constantly vigilant and aware that this is bad news.
“An assistant manager came to my home. On that day my oldest son had fever. He said to my husband, “Your five hectares of land here is gone and two hectares here is gone. Go to the company and get your money.” My husband told them he doesn’t want to sell. Months later, while I was at my mother’s new house [in the plantation] and my husband was away in Malaysia, we heard a loud noise and could see smoke. I went to see, and it was crazy. My house was already burned. Everything was in there, my son’s bicycle, clothes, and all the wood we planned to build a house, all was gone.”
~ Francesca, a 28-year-old Iban Dayak mother of two, told Human Rights Watch about how she and her husband refused relocation. She said that company representatives torched her home, rendering them homeless. Story via Human Rights Watch
Pictured: Rainforest on fire, Getty Images
Pollution run-off in an RSPO member palm oil plantation in Sumatra. Craig Jones Wildlife PhotographyDeforestation for palm oil at ground level – Getty Images videoDeforestation for palm oil waste reservoirs- Getty Images
The difficulty of addressing and resolving oil palm conflicts is due not only to the inadequacies of Indonesia’s legal framework regarding land and plantations but also to the way in which Indonesia’s informalized state institutions foster collusion between local power holders and palm oil companies. This collusion enables companies to evade regulation, suppress community protests and avoid engaging in constructive efforts to resolve conflicts. Furthermore, this collusion has made the available conflict resolution mechanisms largely ineffective.
With the palm oil narrative in Indonesia – many people can no longer distinguish the real from the fake, the fact from the simulation
The media presents a seemingly diverse chorus of voices that all seem to be singing from the same songbook – all of them praising palm oil.
Interviews with field officers, researchers, seminar recordings, podcasts, PR and advertising campaigns are backed financially by the palm oil industry to glaze over and greenwash the immense environmental and social impact of palm oil.
Instead we are presented with a positive narrative about palm oil that offers improved living conditions for farmers. This is not the lived reality for Dayak people. We are told that palm oil is a lucrative crop that benefits the farmers. This is not the lived reality for Dayak people.
Pictured: A Dayak woman weaves pandan in a traditional longhouse, PxFuel
The greenwashing of palm oil deforestation intensifies as time goes on
News articles and reports talk about how this country is preparing to deal with climate change, so as not to damage forests and also to save forests from deforestation.
News about customary Dayak lands that are seized for palm oil illegally or by force is online only momentarily and quickly disappears. These violations human rights are rendered invisible by the media in here.
In our news hungry and busy world, most people don’t read beyond the headlines. The messy, corrupt and invisible world of massive land-clearing for palm oil goes on without the world knowing about it through the media. In the meantime, tropical rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia are silently disappearing.
The current era of fake news was predicted by Jean Baudrillard several decades ago
When we can no longer distinguish the truth, the facts and the real from a news. This is Hyperreality.
“The real has died and been replaced by Simulation”
~ Jean Baudrillard.
This is what Jean Baudrillard called the era of Simulacra, Simulation, and Hyperreality. When the news plays with symbols, and the public who consume or read the news only see and know about the simulation, we are existing in Hyperreality, in a Simulacra.
People who consume the news only know the simulation/ hyperreality in a Simulacra – Jean Baudrillard
A Simulacra is a combination of values, facts, signs, images and codes. In this reality we no longer find references or representations except the simulacra itself.
People who consume the news only know the simulation/ hyperreality in a Simulacra – Jean Baudrillard
Greenwashing and denialism in the media about the environmental impact of palm oil
A recent report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) found that the palm oil industry used the same aggressive tactics for greenwashing akin to the tobacco and alcohol industries. Read more
Research studies of SE Asian media reporting on palm oil show a denialist and greenwashing narrative that is similar to climate change denialism i.e. climate change greenwashing.
“We found that media reporting of the denialist narrative is more prevalent than that of the peer-reviewed science consensus-view that palm oil plantations on tropical peat could cause excessive greenhouse gas emissions and enhance the risk of fires. “Our article alerts to the continuation of unsustainable practices as justified by the media to the public, and that the prevalence of these denialist narratives constitute a significant obstacle in resolving pressing issues such as transboundary haze, biodiversity loss, and land-use change related greenhouse gas emissions in Southeast Asia.”
~ Liu, Felicia & Ganesan, Vignaa & Smith, Thomas. (2020). Contrasting communications of sustainability science in the media coverage of palm oil agriculture on tropical peatlands in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Environmental Science & Policy. 114. 162-169. 10.1016/j.envsci.2020.07.004.
Deforestation – Craig Jones Wildlife Photography Pictured clockwise: An orangutan grips helplessly onto a broken and destroyed tree, Craig Jones Wildlife Photography; River pollution, PxFuel; A freshly destroyed rainforest in Indonesia, Craig Jones Wildlife Photography; A vast and lifeless palm oil plantation, Greenpeace.
Impact of the media Simulacrum on Dayak people
Media coverage about the “goodness of palm oil” has a deep psychological impact on Dayak communities. In the news, this is where the simulation or simulacra begins to occur.
Pictured: Dayak men in Kalimantan, Pxfuel.
Some people cannot sort and distinguish the truth of the news content from the actual facts. Meanwhile, the village that I visited is still holding on to their traditional way of life – not to palm oil. This is the Last Village.
Dayak people in the neighbouring village tell them how they have lost their fishing resources. That now, because of the palm oil run-off and pollution there are no more fish to catch. Their roaming area has become too narrow.
They say: “Oh you are right! Keep on resisting the palm oil siege! For we are now labourers toiling for little money on our ancestral land.”
Liu, Felicia & Ganesan, Vignaa & Smith, Thomas. (2020). Contrasting communications of sustainability science in the media coverage of palm oil agriculture on tropical peatlands in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Environmental Science & Policy. 114. 162-169. 10.1016/j.envsci.2020.07.004.
Manzo, Kate & Padfield, Rory. (2016). Palm oil not polar bears: Climate change and development in Malaysian media. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers. 41. 10.1111/tran.12129.
Morris J. Simulacra in the Age of Social Media: Baudrillard as the Prophet of Fake News. Journal of Communication Inquiry. 2021;45(4):319-336. doi:10.1177/0196859920977154
Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing (1998). Under the Shadows of the Queen of Diamonds: The Process of Marginalization in Isolated Communities. Indonesian Torch Foundation, Jakarta.
“The Forest is the father, land is the mother and rivers are blood
“That’s the spirituality of most Dayak people in Kalimantan. They understand the interdependent nature of everything in nature.”
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
The original version of this article was published as ‘How to Make More Socially Conscious Halloween Candy Choices in The Washington Post on the 14th of October 2022. Originally written by Allyson Chiu and was republished via syndication by MSN
Candy-seeking trick-or-treaters, environmentalists and sustainability experts say that you should consider taking a second look at the sweet treats you might be planning to hand out — or eat — this Halloween. The two main ingredients in leading candy production: palm oil and cocoa are linked to extensive child slavery, human rights abuses and deforestation. But you can do something about it – avoid palm oil, watch your food waste and choose candy wisely.
While chocolate is a crowd-pleaser, the ubiquitous candy “has some pretty close associations with two of the biggest environmental crises that we face right now, and that’s the climate crisis and the biodiversity crisis,” says John Buchanan, vice president of sustainable production for Conservation International.
What’s more, much of the individually wrapped candies plucked from bowls at parties or hauled home at the end of the night contribute to the spooky holiday’s waste problem.
“Halloween should really be called Plasticween,” says Judith Enck, a former senior Environmental Protection Agency official under Barack Obama who now heads the Beyond Plastics advocacy organization. Although costumes and decorations are major sources of plastic, the overabundance of non-recyclable candy wrappers is also cause for concern. Broadly, Enck says, the holiday “is a plastic and solid waste disaster.”
The trouble with chocolate
But Enck and other experts emphasize that axing the holiday isn’t the answer. “I would vigorously oppose canceling Halloween,” she says.
“I have very fond memories of trick-or-treating as a child. My kids had wonderful times trick-or-treating,” adds Carolyn Dimitri, an applied economist and associate professor of food studies at New York University. “It’s our culture, our custom — we give candy on Halloween.”
So, if you’re among the roughly two-thirds of Americans planning to pass out candy this year, here’s how experts recommend treating — rather than tricking — the planet with your choices.
Understand the impacts of candy
“It’s important for consumers, with any product that they buy, that they educate themselves about where it comes from and how it’s made and the impact of the product on the environment and the social implications of it,” says Alexander Ferguson, vice president for communications and membership at the nonprofit World Cocoa Foundation.
The environmental, climate and social impacts of popular candy products are largely associated with two common ingredients, experts say: cocoa and palm oil — both of which can be found in chocolate-containing candies.
“In terms of sustainability, the biggest problems in confectionery are in chocolate,” says Etelle Higonnet, an environmental and human rights expert who helped create the first environmental scorecard for chocolate.
Companies typically source cocoa and palm oil from tropical areas often inhabited by people in less economically-developed communities, Dimitri says. According to some estimates, about 70 percent of the world’s cocoa comes from West Africa while around 90 percent of the world’s palm oil trees are grown on a handful of islands in Indonesia and Malaysia.
More than $3 billion is expected to be spent on candy this Halloween, according to the National Retail Federation.
Producing cocoa and palm oil has led to the deforestation of critical rainforests, which poses problems for climate and biodiversity, Buchanan says. West Africa’s Ivory Coast, for instance, has lost 80 percent of its forests since 1970.
Preserving these rainforests can help the world meet its goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) compared to preindustrial levels, he adds.
“Deforestation and land use change are such huge drivers of emissions globally,” Buchanan says. “Even if we had a 100 percent perfect solution to green energy and … decarbonization, if you decarbonize the economy tomorrow, we still have to take nature into account if we are to stay below 1.5 degrees of warming. The global community must address both fossil fuel emissions and emissions associated with loss of natural areas and land use.”
Avoid palm oil
“My kids had wonderful times trick-or-treating. It’s our culture, our custom — we give candy on Halloween. One of the simplest actions concerned consumers can take is to buy candy that doesn’t use palm oil. Palm oil is really popular because it has really good mouthfeel and it’s really inexpensive. But it is possible to find products without the troublesome ingredient. A lot of candy companies have tried to reformulate their products so that they don’t have palm oil in them because there’s been resistance to it.”
~ Carolyn Dimitri, Applied Economist and Associate Professor of Food Studies at New York University quoted in the Washington Post.
Make sure to check ingredient labels carefully because some products from the same brand will still contain palm oil, even if other items do not.
Image Associated Press investigation into child slavery and rape on a Musim Mas palm oil plantation in Ferreros supply chain
Cocoa and palm oil are also linked to human rights issues, including forced labor and child labor
Aside from taking steps to provide living wages to cocoa farmers, many of whom have been paid about $1 a day or less, major chocolate manufacturers such as Mars, Nestlé and Hershey have pledged to stop using cocoa harvested by children. But difficulties tracing cocoa back to farms means companies often can’t guarantee that their chocolate is produced without child labor, The Washington Post’s Peter Whoriskey and Rachel Siegel reported in 2019.
The chocolate industry is working on achieving better rates of traceability, or knowing where a product comes from, Ferguson says. “That sounds like a very simple thing, but actually it’s quite a hard thing to do when you’ve got many smallholder farmers and a long and complicated supply chain.”
The world has pledged to stop deforestation before. But trees are still disappearing at an ‘untenable rate.’
Additionally, poverty underpins many of the labor issues affecting those involved in the production of chocolate. Farmers often have to use their own children, because they can’t afford laborers.
“People tend to draw conclusions about the use of children in agriculture, and I think it’s important to keep in mind that for a lot of families there is not any other option,” Dimitri says.
The Washington Post recommends that you boycott palm oil in 2022 and beyond
Don’t boycott chocolate, buy better
You could buy Halloween candy that doesn’t contain cocoa, but experts caution against boycotting chocolate entirely.
Cocoa is mostly produced by individual farmers running small operations, Buchanan says. “If there isn’t a market for cocoa, they’re going to be even worse off, so you’re certainly not going to deal with challenges like child labor by taking away a key source of income.”
Instead, Ferguson says, “reward companies that are trying to do the right thing and stay engaged.”
Some experts recommend looking for third-party certification labels from groups such as Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance that are intended to help distinguish products that meet certain ethical standards. Though these certifications can be flawed and don’t guarantee a perfect product, they are often better than nothing, experts say.
“Given the complexities and the challenges of what we’ve seen, I think that there’s really a risk of letting perfect be the enemy of the good,” Buchanan says.
Still, buying certified chocolate means fewer options — and the candy tends to be more expensive. For example, Tony’s Chocolonely, a company that sells Fairtrade-certified chocolate, offers 100 individually packaged chocolates for $48.69. Alter Eco also offers certified food products, including 60-count boxes of individually wrapped truffles for $49.99.
Higonnet also points consumers to resources such as the Chocolate Scorecard, which surveys major chocolate companies and ranks them based on criteria such as traceability and transparency, living income, child labor, and deforestation and climate, among others. According to the 2022 scorecard, several major brands that sell more affordable candy options are overall “starting to implement good policies.”
“The best thing, regardless of whether you’re buying from a big company or a small company, is to be pushing them and asking them what are they doing to be part of the solution,” Buchanan says. “It’s not as easy as just going to small specialty companies. Those companies have their role and they can do things differently with the way they operate, but they also have a small footprint. We need the big companies as well.”
Minimize waste
It’s also important to try to reduce the amount of non-recyclable waste and uneaten candy that gets thrown away. Keep in mind that you can donate unopened Halloween candy to organizations that send treats to soldiers and first responders or local community drives. But be sure to check donation requirements. Homemade items, for example, often aren’t accepted.
Many candy wrappers aren’t commonly recyclable, says Enck of Beyond Plastics, which provides a tip sheet for cutting back on plastic during Halloween. If possible, she suggests buying candy in bulk and putting it in paper bags, which can be recycled. Some popular candies, such as Nerds, Dots and Junior Mints, can also come individually packaged in recyclable cardboard boxes.
Although candy doesn’t stay good forever, it can remain safe and edible for longer than you might think, says Gregory Ziegler, a professor of food science at Pennsylvania State University who specializes in chocolate and confectionery.
“From a safety standpoint, candy is pretty safe,” Ziegler says. “It has very little moisture in most of it and a lot of sugar is really what protects it from much microbial growth that might make it unsafe.”
But, he notes, there is a difference between safe and edible. The shelf life for most candy ends because of texture or flavor change, which can affect enjoyment, he says. For example, if chocolate melts and rehardens it can develop a white-ish cast known as bloom, which isn’t harmful but might cause the candy to taste bad.
Ziegler recommends storing Halloween candy in a dry, sealed container. You can also put sweets into the freezer or refrigerator. “Almost all the reactions that cause candy to go bad slow down the lower the temperature is.”
Most candy should last six months, he says. “If you treat it right, maybe longer than that.”
The original version of this article was published as ‘How to Make More Socially Conscious Halloween Candy Choices in The Washington Post on the 14th of October. Originally written by Allyson Chiu and was republished via syndication by MSN
Learn how to boycott palm oil this Halloween
The tragic reality is that US, UK and Australia’s favourite treats are still linked to palm oil related deforestation, human rights abuses, child slavery and more
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Countless reports show that popular lollies, candies and chocolate brands in Australia, the United States of America and United Kingdom such as Hersheys, Nestle, Mondelez (Cadbury), Ferrero and Mars are linked to palm oil deforestation, the killing of endangered species, human rights abuses, the slavery and death of children.
This is happening very close-by – at Australia’s closest Pacific neighbour, Papua New Guinea. In the US’s closest neighbours in Central and South America and in Africa. These same atrocities are baked into the biggest selling halloween treats.
Learn how to have a palm oil free Halloween below and #Boycott4Wildlife!
Learn how to avoid major brands linked to palm oil land-grabbing, deforestation, human rights abuses, and slavery and instead buy palm oil free in the shops!
Buying chocolate, candy or lollies as a gift or just want to indulge yourself? Then enjoy your chocolate fix without eating rainforest-destroying palm oil! If you are…
Boycotts against corrupt commodities like palm oil and meat are effective because they hit where it hurts, corporate giants’ profit margins and reputations
Global Witness October 2021 Report: Violence and death for palm oil connected to household supermarket brands (RSPO members)
“One palm oil firm, Rimbunan Hijau, [Papua New Guinea] negligently ignored repeated and avoidable worker deaths and injuries on palm oil plantations, with at least 11 workers and the child of one worker losing their lives over an eight-year period.
“Tainted palm oil from Papua New Guinea plantations was sold to household name brands, all of them RSPO members including Kellogg’s, Nestlé, Colgate, Danone, Hershey’s and PZ Cussons and Reckitt Benckiser”
Sustainable palm oil may not be so sustainable, (2018) , Roberto Cazzolla Gatti, Jingjing Liang, Alena Velichevskaya, Mo Zhou, Science of The Total Environment, Volume 652, 2019, Pages 48-51, ISSN 0048-9697.
The impact of oil palm on rural livelihoods and tropical forest landscapes in Latin America, Journal of Rural Studies (2021) A. Castellanos-Navarrete, F. de Castro, P. Pacheco, Volume 81, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2020.10.047.
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Spectacled #bears are known as the ‘peaceful and gentle bear’. They are the only bear living in the tropics of South America. Like many other animals in tropical ecosystems they are #endangered. They get their name from their eye-catching markings around their eyes, face and neck that resemble spectacles. Each bear has unique markings like a fingerprint and some bears don’t have them at all.
Spectacled bears are a keystone species in the rainforests of South America. They are vital for seed dispersion throughout the forests. Their extinction would have severe consequences for the entire ecosystem and lead to a decline in the populations of other animals their home, including jaguars, deer, and tapirs.
Appearance & Behaviour
Spectacled bears have a gentle nature and are quite possibly the real life Paddington Bear
They are typically shy and solitary animals. They can run at speeds of up to 56km/ph. When provoked they will run away rather than have a confrontation with other animals including humans. However, mothers defending cubs have been known to become aggressive when threatened.
Males are about 30% larger than females and can weigh up to 180kg and are approximately 1.7 metres long. From paw to shoulder while walking they are an estimated 1.3 metres in height. Females typically don’t weigh more than 85kg.
They have shaggy black, brown or russet brown hair and distinctive markings on their faces and each bear has a unique set of markings.
Threats
A landscape assessment of habitat suitability identified ~30% of habitat as unsuitable to sustain viable spectacled bear populations. At a national level, Venezuela showed the greatest projected loss of key patches (70%), with only two of these key patches available to sustain its bear population. Peru, Colombia and Ecuador are projected to lose 31%, 29% and 27% respectively, and Bolivia 19%. Causes of this loss of key patch habitat is associated with human development activities that have not ceased, and in some areas may increase by allowing oil exploration and exploitation within some protected areas.
Spectacled bears were once spread throughout the entire Peruvian Andes but they are being squeezed out by agriculture and now live in 7% of their original range.
Habitat destruction for mining, logging, palm oil, cattle ranching and soy are the main threat to spectacled bears.
Their traditional food sources in the rainforest have been depleted and fragmented by destroying rainforests, leading spectacled bears to prey upon domestic livestock. Farmers then shoot spectacled bears in retribution.
Illegal wildlife trade for their gall bladders that are used in Chinese medicine.
Illegal poaching for meat and fur.
Illegal wildlife trade: Killing the mother bear in order to take the cubs and sell them into the illegal pet trade.
Extreme weather events related to climate change like floods and fires which cause a depletion of their natural food sources are also a threat to these bears.
Adult male spectacled bears fighting by Slow Motion GLI on Getty ImagesBaby spectacled bear by Slow Motion GLI for Getty ImagesSpectacled Bear by Thornsten Sporlein for Getty ImagesSpectacled Bear close up by Thornsten Sporlein for Getty Images
Habitat
Spectacled bears are highly adaptable to varying degrees of ecosystem disturbance and are found in montage forests to secondary forests, wet and dry swamps and peatlands. It is unknown if they are able to survive for long periods in grassland ecosystems without access to the forest. Due to dwindling habitat range, they are often forced into agricultural farmland where they prey upon domestic animals and they are killed in retribution by farmers.
Diet
Omnivores, spectacled bears have a digestive system, dentition and a pseudo-thumb that is adapted to processing and eating plants. They enjoy bromeliad fruits, cacti and palm nuts. They also consume small mammals.
Mating and breeding
Typically shy and solitary they generally forage alone. Unlike other bear species, food is available all year round, this means that they don’t hibernate for part of the year. Mating occurs throughout the year however females generally give birth to a litter of cubs to coincide with the flowering and fruiting season. A litter is typically 1-4 cubs and twins are common. The size of the litter will depend on the health of the mother and availability of food sources. Cubs are born blind and completely helpless and are carefully tended to by their mother for several months after birth.
Velez-Liendo, X. & García-Rangel, S. 2017. Tremarctos ornatus (errata version published in 2018). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T22066A123792952. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22066A45034047.en. Accessed on 30 September 2022.
Spectacled bear sticking out his tongue by Natalia So for Getty Images
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil#Boycott4Wildlife.
2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
More and more palm oil free 🦧 products in Australia 🇦🇺. Customer awareness is increasing month by month. Of course Bart Van Assen will keep pushing "sustainable" palm oil with Orangutan Land Trust. Boycott palm oil to protect wildlife! There is not planet B #boycott4wildlifepic.twitter.com/rm7chub5Rb
If possible to get Ovomaltine, please promote it among your friends. It openly advertises with 0 palm oil. No RSPO no bullshit. For me it even tasts better than nuttela. It substantiates that chocolate spread can be made delicious without filthy palm oil. pic.twitter.com/cyV5Tm3tLd
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Cholesterol is among the most feared substances, but why? You need cholesterol to produce some hormones and to build vital structures in your body. But too much-referred to as high cholesterol-can build up in your arteries and lead to heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases.
That’s why it’s important to get tested and know your cholesterol numbers; they show how much cholesterol is circulating in your blood.
We asked Sonia Tolani, MD, an expert in cardiovascular disease and cholesterol management, to explain the good and the bad about cholesterol, and how to have healthy levels. To start, she says, “Know your cholesterol numbers and keep them in check. You are in control. Maintaining normal cholesterol levels significantly reduces your risk of heart attack and stroke.”
This is a media release from Columbia University Irving Medical Center republished under Creative Commons licence, written by A. Prof Sonia Tolani, MD.
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a substance that circulates in your blood. Your liver produces most of the cholesterol in your body. Other cholesterol enters your body through food.
The two most important types of cholesterol:
LDL (low-density lipoprotein)
This is the bad one; your target number depends on your risk for heart disease. Most people should aim for an LDL below 100, but those with diabetes or who have cardiovascular disease should aim for lower, below 70.
HDL (high-density lipoprotein)
This is the good one. For women, a good level is above 60; for men, it’s above 40.
Too much LDL, or too little HDL, increases health risk.
Where does cholesterol come from?
Your liver and cells in your body produce about 80% of the cholesterol in your blood. Food brings in the other 20%. Food that’s high in trans and saturated fats contributes to bad levels of cholesterol (not food that’s high in cholesterol, as once was thought). Bad means bad for your health.
When you take in more cholesterol, your liver reduces its cholesterol production and removes the excess. But some people’s livers don’t do this well, because of their genes.
Trans and saturated fats
Trans fats are primarily artificial (created by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil to make it more solid) but some occur naturally in animal products. The Food and Drug Administration banned trans fats in the United States in 2018, with the final allowable manufacturing date of Jan. 1, 2021. But some processed and packaged food may still have trans fat because of how it is processed.
Packaged food includes:
Biscuits
Cookies
Crackers
Frosting
Microwave popcorn
Pie crusts
Pizza
Vegetable shortening and oil
Look at the nutrition facts panel on packaged food to see how many trans fats it contains.
In addition to increasing heart disease and stroke risk, consuming trans fats increases risk of type 2 diabetes. The American Heart Association recommends that most people reduce or eliminate consumption of trans fats.
Saturated fats occur naturally in many foods, such as animal-based and tropical oils, including:
Beef
Butter, cheese, cream
Coconut
Lamb
Lard
Pork
Poultry, especially with skin
Palm oil
Research shows that not all saturated fats are bad to eat. The American Heart Association recommends that most people limit daily consumption of saturated fats to 13 grams per day.
Know your numbers
How much cholesterol do you have?
The amount of cholesterol you have depends on genetics, diet, age, activity, assigned sex at birth, and other factors.
Where, when, and how do I get a cholesterol test?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
Healthy adults should have their cholesterol checked every four to six years.
Children should have their cholesterol checked at least once between ages 9 and 11 and again between ages 17 and 21.
People with family history of heart disease should get their cholesterol checked more often.
Ask your doctor about the lipid panel blood test.
Keep cholesterol levels in check (low!)
Eat a low saturated fat diet, like the Mediterranean-style diet.
Exercise regularly (30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise a week).
Maintain a healthy weight.
In addition, due to genetic factors, some people need medications to keep their cholesterol in check. Talk to your doctor about your known risk factors.
High cholesterol is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases that you can control with healthy eating and/or medication. The first step is knowing your cholesterol numbers.
This is a media release from Columbia University Irving Medical Center republished under Creative Commons licence written by A. Prof Sonia Tolani, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and co-director of the Columbia Women’s Heart Center. She is an expert in consultative cardiology, preventive medicine, and women’s heart disease, including the treatment of gestational hypertension and preeclampsia. See original media release.
A 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry found that palm oil has severe impacts on cardiovascular health
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
In light of the most recent Ebola outbreak in Uganda (over the past month), many people are experiencing a sense of déjà vu. The rapacious destruction of rainforests for palm oil,soy, meat and dairy by multinational corporations is deeply linked to the spread of infectious zoonotic diseases, such as Ebola. These diseases are becoming more and more commonplace with the destruction of the environment and growth of animal agriculture. This has enormous implications for human #health, food security, animal conservation and planetary health. #BoycottPalmOil#Boycott4Wildlife
The answers to preventing future zoonotic diseases are staring us right in the face: we should stop eating animals and consuming animal products and we should stop destroying rainforests for palm oil, soy and other crops!
Many research papers and books have been written about the connection between the relentless capitalist growth imperative of multinational corporations, deforestation to make way for agriculture and the spread of Zoonotic diseases from wild animals to humans. Here is a collection of research papers and quotes from experts about the issue.
Zoonotic spillover requires close contact between a human and an animal or its organic material. This occurs when humans destroy rainforest ecosystems for industrial agriculture, rapid urbanisation, mining or other land conversion. Illegal wildlife hunting, bushmeat trade and the illegal pet trade expose humans to new pathogens from these wild animals. This pathogen transfer is the zoonotic spill-over from wild animal hosts to human hosts.
Bushmeat is a suspected vector for HIV and Ebola. Primates, rodents, pangolins, antelope, and vipers have all been shipped along air routes. One study found that 100% of seized bushmeat samples intercepted at borders had bacteria that was unsafe for human consumption. (C4ADS, 2020).
Unlike bushmeat or other products, live animals can host a zoonotic disease indefinitely. Live birds, orangutans, marmosets and salamanders are all known hosts of zoonotic diseases when they are trafficked in the illegal pet trade.
Animal agriculture is also involved in the spread of Zoonotic diseases. Pigs, chickens, cows and other fowl are known hosts for ASF, avian flu, and E. coli. This can spread to humans when they consume meat and dairy products.
How does a zoonotic disease spread?
Spillover of possible pandemic pathogens occurs from livestock operations; wildlife hunting and trade; land use change—and the destruction of tropical forests in particular; expansion of agricultural lands, especially near human settlements; and rapid, unplanned urbanisation. Climate change is also shrinking habitats and pushing animals on land and sea to move to new places, creating opportunities for pathogens to enter new hosts.
“We invade tropical forests and other wild landscapes, which harbour so many species of animals and plants — and within those creatures, so many unknown viruses. We cut the trees; we kill the animals or cage them and send them to markets. We disrupt ecosystems, and we shake viruses loose from their natural hosts. When that happens, they need a new host. Often, we are it.”
David Quammen, author of “Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Pandemic,” in the New York Times.
1. Prevention is the best cure
Is palm oil deforestation linked to zoonotic disease spread/pandemics?
Taking into account the human population growth, we find that the increases in outbreaks of zoonotic and vector-borne diseases from 1990 to 2016 are linked with deforestation, mostly in tropical countries, and with reforestation, mostly in temperate countries. We also find that outbreaks of vector-borne diseases are associated with the increase in areas of palm oil plantations.
Morand, S., & Lajaunie, C. (2021). Outbreaks of vector-borne and zoonotic diseases are associated with changes in forest cover and oil palm expansion at global scale. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 8. doi:10.3389/fvets.2021.661063
Is Ebola linked to land-grabbing for industrial palm oil in Africa?
This discussion paper’s findings relate to an outbreak of Ebola in Liberia and the interaction between palm oil companies, deforestation and a past ebola epidemic in this location:
“The palm oil multinationals, exploiting the health crisis, stepped up deforestation to increase output. The effect on deforestation is more severe in areas inhabited by politically unrepresented ethnic groups, characterised by a reduction in tree coverage by 6.5%. We also document an increase of more than 125% in the likelihood of fire events within concessions during the epidemic.
“This suggests that not only did the palm oil companies foster deforestation, but further that they used forest fires to do so. This is particularly harmful to the environment, and the smoke and the haze may have severe health consequences, apart from being a source of carbon dioxide. This deforestation was accompanied by a 150% increase in the amount of land dedicated to cultivation.
“This exploitative behaviour was highly profitable for palm oil companies, with a 1428% increase in the value of Liberian palm oil’s exports compared with the pre-Ebola period. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same for local people or the local environment.”
— Centre for Economic Performance (@CEP_LSE) March 11, 2022
What is the best way to stop zoonotic diseases?
1. Prevention is the best cure
End tropical deforestation.
Stop buying meat and dairy.
Boycott palm oil.
International banning of the illegal wildlife trade, bushmeat trade and exotic pet trade.
“If COVID-19 taught us anything, it is that testing, treatments, and vaccines can prevent deaths, but they do not stop the spread of viruses across the globe and may never prevent the emergence of new pathogens. As we look to the future, we absolutely cannot rely on post-spillover strategies alone to protect us”
2. The ‘wild’ must be kept ‘wild’ and we must stop consuming animals
“The ‘wild’ must be kept ‘wild.’ It is time to restore our forests, stop deforestation, invest in the management of protected areas, and propel markets for deforestation-free products. Where the legal wildlife trade chain exists, we need to do a far better job of improving hygiene conditions. And of course, there is the urgent need to tackle the illegal wildlife trade, the fourth most common crime committed worldwide”.
The clearing of rainforests and other ecosystems for animal agriculture and cutting into forests for growing monocultures like palm oil and soy is responsible for zoonotic spillover. If we all decided to boycott meat, dairy and palm oil tomorrow, we would prevent the majority of this zoonotic spillover.
If we all woke up vegan in 2050, we would require less cropland than we did in the year 2000. This could allow us to “reforest” an area around the size of the entire Amazon rainforest – somehow fitting considering 70-80% of deforestation in the Amazon is due to the livestock industry.
In the 20th Century there were at least six outbreaks of novel coronaviruses.
60% of known infectious diseases are zoonotic.
75% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic.
In the 20 years before COVID-19, the economic damage caused by zoonotic diseases amounted to $100bn USD.
An estimated 2 million people per year die from zoonotic diseases – mostly in developing nations due to people’s close proximity to wildlife and dependence upon livestock.
Meat production has increased by 260% in the past 50 years.
Factory farms are linked to 25% of infectious diseases in humans.
Climate change contributes to the spread of pathogens.
Globalised transport and food supply chains facilitate easy movement of zoonotic diseases.
David Quammen, author of “Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Pandemic,” in the New York Times.
Harvard Chan C-CHANGE/Harvard Global Health Initiative (2021) Protecting forests and changing agricultural practices are essential, cost-effective actions to prevent pandemics https://youtu.be/BIiduif1C4A
MacDonald, A. J., & Mordecai, E. A. (2019). Amazon deforestation drives malaria transmission, and malaria burden reduces forest clearing: A retrospective study. The Lancet Planetary Health, 3. doi:10.1016/s2542-5196(19)30156-1
Morand, S., & Lajaunie, C. (2021). Outbreaks of vector-borne and zoonotic diseases are associated with changes in forest cover and oil palm expansion at global scale. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 8. doi:10.3389/fvets.2021.661063
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
OK, Ok…I know this is quite a scary photo but hear me out. Caecilians are legless, eyeless creatures live secretive, strange lives underground and underwater. Not quite snakes, not quite worms and not quite amphibians either. Once you know more about them they may still come to you in dreams, but you might just love them too.
They belong to the same group of animals that includes frogs and salamanders. But unlike other amphibians, caecilians lack legs. Some caecilians are as short as a pencil, while others grow as long as a child. Their eyes are tiny and hidden beneath skin and sometimes bone. And they have a pair of tentacles on their face that can sniff out chemicals in the environment.
A paper published in iScience, describes glands found inside the mouths of caecilians that appear to secrete saliva suffused with venomous enzymes, according to National Geographic. This would coat the creatures’ fangs with venom, a delivery system also seen in venomous lizards such as the gila monster (Heloderma suspectum) but different from the hypodermic needle-style fangs of rattlesnakes and cobras, reports Christie Wilcox for Science News. Yet just like in snakes, the caecilian’s toxin-producing glands arise from dental tissue.
This article was originally written by Roberta Kwok for Science News Explores, a fascinating blog and website that allows a one-time republishing creative commons licence for their stories. Read the original here
John Measey flew to Venezuela in 1997 in search of peculiar amphibians that looked like snakes or worms and lived underground. Measey’s team trekked through the rainforest, flipping over logs and digging into soil. After a few weeks, they still hadn’t found a single one.
“We were absolutely excited,” he says. Measey is an evolutionary biologist — a scientist who studies the way living creatures have changed over long periods of time — now at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. “I had no problem jumping into the pea-green lake.” Sure enough, he found caecilians wriggling between stones in a wall at the lake’s edge.
“The whole creature is really quite bizarre,” says Emma Sherratt, an evolutionary biologist at Harvard University.
Not a snake, not a worm, not an amphibian – but something else!
Scientists first started studying caecilians in the 1700s. At first, some researchers thought the animals were snakes. But caecilians are very different. Snakes have scales on the outside of their body, while caecilian skin is made up of ring-shaped folds encircling the body. These folds often have scales embedded in them. Most caecilians do not have a tail; snakes do. Caecilians differ from their other lookalike, worms, in part because they possess a backbone and a skull.
Some caecilians have no lungs and probably breathe entirely through their skin. This live specimen of a lungless caecilian was found in 2011 in a river in Brazil. Credit: Photo by B.S.F. Silva, published in Boletim Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi. Ciências Naturais 6(3) Sept – Dec 2011
Biologists know very little about these creatures, compared with other animals. Because most caecilians burrow underground, they can be hard to find. They live in wet, tropical areas such as Central and South America, Africa, India and Southeast Asia — regions where until recently there weren’t many biologists. When local people do see caecilians, they often mistake them for snakes or worms.
“This is a major group of living creatures, and so few people even know they exist,” says Sherratt. “It’s just got this mistaken identity.”
Caecilians use superstrong skulls to burrow tunnels through soil. Tentacles help the amphibians detect chemicals in their environment, including those released by prey. Credit: john@measey.com
Scientists now believe that caecilians, frogs and salamanders all evolved, or slowly changed over a long period of time, from a group of animals that lived more than 275 million years ago. These ancient animals probably looked more like a salamander, a small, four-legged creature with a tail. Biologists suspect those salamander-like ancestors might have started burrowing in leaf piles and eventually into the soil to hide from predators or to search for new sources of food.
As these animals spent more time underground, they evolved to become better burrowers. Over time, their legs disappeared and their bodies lengthened. Their skulls became very strong and thick, allowing the animals to ram their heads through the soil. They didn’t need to see much anymore, so their eyes shrank. A layer of skin or bone also grew over the eyes to protect them from dirt. And the creatures formed tentacles that could sense chemicals, helping the animals find prey in the dark.
Caecilians are expert excavators
Caecilians are now superb burrowers. Jim O’Reilly, an evolutionary biologistat the University of Chicago, and his colleagues wanted to find out how hard caecilians could push against soil. In the lab, the team set up an artificial tunnel. They filled one end with dirt and put a brick at that end to stop the animal from burrowing any farther. To measure how hard the caecilian pushed, the scientists attached a device called a force plate to the tunnel.
A 50- to 60-centimeter-long (roughly 1.5- to 2-foot-long) caecilian proved much stronger than O’Reilly had expected. “It just shoved this brick off the table,” he recalls. The scientists performed the same experiment with similar-sized mud snakes and burrowing boas. The caecilians could push about twice as hard as both types of snakes, the researchers found.
The secret to caecilians’ strength may be a coiled set of tissues called tendons
These tendons look like two intertwined Slinkies inside the animal’s body. As a burrowing caecilian holds its breath and contracts — or flexes — itsmuscles,the tendons stretch out as if something is pulling the Slinkies. The caecilian’s body becomes a little longer and thinner, pushing the skull forward. Worms move in a similar way, but they use muscles circling their body and extending lengthwise instead of spiraling tendons. To pull up the rest of its body, the caecilian relaxes the muscles in its body wall and scrunches up its backbone. This causes the body to become a little shorter and fatter.
After multiple cycles of the head burrowing forward and the body catching up, the caecilian may come to rest. At this point, it may exhale, its body going limp.
Caecilians have also come up with clever ways to capture their prey. To study the amphibian’s hunting techniques, Measey’s team filled an aquarium with soil and let 21- to 24-centimeter-long caecilians burrow tunnels. The team added earthworms and crickets, which caecilians like to eat. Because the aquarium was very thin, almost like a picture frame, the researchers could film what was happening in the burrows.
After an earthworm burrowed into a caecilian’s tunnel, the caecilian grabbed the earthworm with its teeth and started spinning around like a rolling pin. This spinning pulled the whole worm into the caecilian’s burrow and might have even made the worm dizzy. Measey thinks this trick might also give caecilians a better idea of how heavy their prey is. “If it’s a rat’s tail, you may just want to let go,” he says.
Some caecilian babies scrape off and eat the outer layer of their mother’s skin, which is dead but loaded with nutrients
Baby caecilians may have the oddest behavior of all. Some caecilians lay eggs in an underground chamber. After the eggs hatch, the young remain with their mother for about four to six weeks. Until recently, scientists weren’t sure how the mother fed her offspring.
Some caecilian babies scrape off and eat the outer layer of their mother’s skin, which is dead but loaded with nutrients. Credit: Alex Kupfer
Alex Kupfer, a zoologist now at the University of Potsdam in Germany, investigated. He travelled to Kenya to collect female caecilians and their eggs or babies from underground burrows. Then he put the animals in boxes and watched.
Most of the time, babies lay quietly with their mother. But once in awhile, the young caecilians started crawling all over her, tearing off pieces of her skin and eating it. “I thought, ‘Wow, cool,’” says Kupfer. “There’s no other behavior in the animal kingdom I can compare with this.” The mother isn’t hurt because her outer layer of skin is already dead, he says.
Kupfer’s team looked at pieces of the mother’s skin under a microscope and saw that the cells were unusually big. The cells also contained more fat than cells from female caecilians that weren’t raising young. So the skin probably gives babies a lot of energy and nutrition. To rip off their mother’s skin, young caecilians use special teeth. Some are like scrapers, with two or three points; others are shaped like hooks.
Kupfer thinks his team’s findings may reveal one step in the animals’ evolution. Ancient caecilians probably laid eggs but didn’t take care of their young. Today, some species of caecilians don’t lay eggs at all. Instead, they give birth to live young. These babies grow inside atube in the mother’s body, called an oviduct, and use their teeth to scrape the lining of the tube for nutrition. The caecilians that Kupfer studied appear somewhere in between: They still lay eggs, but the babies dine on their mother’s skin instead of her oviduct.
A young caecilian from India grows inside a translucent egg. Credit: S.D. Biju, http://www.frogindia.org
More secrets and surprises
Scientists still have a lot of questions about caecilians. Researchers have little idea how long most species live, how old the females are when they first give birth and how often they have babies. And biologists have yet to discover how frequently caecilians fight and whether they travel much or spend life largely in one place.
As scientists learn more about caecilians, surprises often emerge. In the 1990s, researchers discovered that a dead specimen of a large, water-dwelling caecilian had no lungs. It probably breathed in all of the air it needed through its skin. So scientists thought this species might inhabit cold, fast-flowing mountain streams, where the water contains more oxygen. But last year, these lungless caecilians were found alive in a completely different place: warm, low-lying rivers in the Brazilian Amazon. Somehow this caecilian species still gets enough oxygen, perhaps because parts of the river flow so fast.
Scientists have identified at least 185 different species of caecilians. And there may be more. In February 2012, a team led by researchers at the University of Delhi in India announced they had discovered a new type of caecilian, which includes several species. These amphibians from northeastern India live underground, vary in color from light gray to purple and can grow more than a meter (almost 4 feet) long.
Not knowing much about caecilians makes it hard to determine whether their species are surviving comfortably or in peril. And that’s important, because throughout the past two decades, many amphibian populations have begun to disappear. Some species have gone extinct. Threats include disappearing habitat, other species invading the amphibians’ homes and a fungus that causes a killer disease.
But researchers aren’t sure how many caecilian species might be similarly threatened because they don’t know how many of these animals existed to begin with. Biologists will need to monitor caecilians more carefully to find out whether populations of their species are declining — and if so, where.
Further reading
Learn more odd facts about caecilians from the San Diego Zoo.
These species have no known conservation actions in place and are silently disappearing before we can save them. Do something about it by boycotting supermarket brands linked to tropical deforestation. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Part of the gracile genus of capuchin monkeys, Kaapori (also known as ka’apor) capuchins have longer limbs in comparison to their body size. They weigh around 2-3 kilos. Compared to other capuchin species, they have rounder skulls and musculature supporting their teeth and jaws means that they can’t open hard nuts. To get at insects living inside of trees they break branches with their teeth and hands in order to reach the ants inside. They also smash snails against trees in order to crack their shells open.
Threats
The Kaapori capuchin is on a knife-edge of survival – they are critically endangered. In 2017 their population had been decimated by 80% due to deforestation for gold mining, agriculture including soy, cattle grazing and palm oil.
This species of capuchin is sensitive to even minor changes to their habitat. In the late 70’s the largest hydroelectric dam was built within their habitat range, flooding in the area left their forest home fragmented.
Just like many other bird and mammal species in South America – hunting and poaching is also a threat.
Kaapori Capuchins have no formal protections in place. You can help them by boycotting meat and palm oil which is resulting in habitat loss in their rainforest home. #Boycottpalmoil #Boycottmeat and #Boycott4Wildlife
Habitat
The Kaapori capuchin (also known as the Ka’apor capuchin) and is found in only one part of Brazil: Pará and Maranhão along the Atlantic coast to the north of the country.
They are normally found deep in the dense forest where food is most abundant, although they are also found in secondary growth areas during the dry season.
Diet
The Kaapori capuchin is most active during the day time and they are arboreal and omnivorous, feeding on fruits and small insects and invertebrates like snails, spiders, wasps, ants, catepillars, grasshoppers and when the opportunity strikes – bird eggs.
Mating and breeding
Kaapori capuchins are polygamous and females give birth to only one infant at a time with twins being rare. Their gestation period lasts about 150-180 days and they give birth around every two years, sometimes births come closer togethegor when infants die. The capuchins are found in small groups of around 10 or less individuals and co-exist and live alongside bearded sakis and robust capuchins.
Ka’apor capuchins have no formal protections in place and they need your help.
If you wish to raise your voice for Ka’apor Capuchins, join the #Boycott4Wildlife.
You can support this beautiful animal
There are no known formal conservation activities in place for this animal. Make sure that you #Boycottpalmoil and #Boycott4Wildlife in the supermarket and raise awareness of the plight of beautiful animals in order to support their survival! Find out more here
Further Information
Fialho, M.S., Jerusalinsky, L., Moura, E.F., Ravetta, A.L., Laroque, P.O., de Queiroz, H.L., Boubli, J.P. & Lynch Alfaro, J.W. 2021. Cebus kaapori (amended version of 2020 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T40019A191704766. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T40019A191704766.en. Accessed on 12 September 2022.
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More and more palm oil free 🦧 products in Australia 🇦🇺. Customer awareness is increasing month by month. Of course Bart Van Assen will keep pushing "sustainable" palm oil with Orangutan Land Trust. Boycott palm oil to protect wildlife! There is not planet B #boycott4wildlifepic.twitter.com/rm7chub5Rb
If possible to get Ovomaltine, please promote it among your friends. It openly advertises with 0 palm oil. No RSPO no bullshit. For me it even tasts better than nuttela. It substantiates that chocolate spread can be made delicious without filthy palm oil. pic.twitter.com/cyV5Tm3tLd
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This article was written by Rochelle Embling, a PhD researcher in psychology at Swansea University, and Laura Wilkinson, a senior lecturer in psychology at Swansea University. It is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Edible seaweeds and algae – or sea vegetables – are a group of aquatic plants that are found in the ocean. Kelp, dulse, wakame and sea grapes are all types of seaweeds that are used in seaweed-based dishes.
Though eating seaweed is mostly common in Asian countries, today seaweeds are widely growing in popularity as an ingredient in a range of food and beverages. This notably includes sushi, where nori seaweed is used as an edible wrap for vegetable, fish, and rice-based fillings.
Our research suggests that people in the UK, like consumers in other western countries, are less familiar with seaweed as an ingredient. This is important because food neophobia (wanting to avoid novel foods) may prevent consumers from trying new products.
And for seaweeds in particular, first impressions may be less appealing when associated with the plant washed up on our beaches. For example, many participants in our research imagined seaweed to be “smelly”, “salty”, and “slimy” when asked.
Despite it being considered an Asian staple, people have been eating seaweed in Europe as well for centuries
Many European countries have a history of consuming seaweeds. This includes laverbread, a savoury puree made from laver seaweed, which is eaten alongside other seafood as part of Welsh cuisine. A sweet alternative is carrageen pudding, a jelly-like dessert made from carrageen seaweed (otherwise known as Irish moss).
Spirulina algae by Madeleine Steinback on Getty Images
However, this traditional consumption of seaweed remains somewhat niche today. And with the exception of sushi, seaweed consumption is relatively low in most western countries.
In a recent study, we explored how consumers rate seaweeds and potential food products (that could be supplemented with seaweed) when thinking about eating them. We found that people expected seaweed food products (such as seaweed burgers) to be more appealing than seaweed as a general food source.
Notably, as participants already expected seaweed products to be healthy and sustainable, these attributes were less important to their acceptance of seaweed. Taste and familiarity were the two factors that had the greatest influence on participants’ willingness to try and buy seaweed-based foods.
Seaweeds are a highly versatile and nutritious food source that can benefit our diet. Seaweeds are often rich in fibre and high in vitamins and minerals. This includes iodine and vitamin B12, which can be lacking in vegetarian and vegan diets.
Submerged algae and seaweed Lucas B Bracht on Getty Images
Has a super tasty ‘umami’ flavour, despite its reputation for being a stinky plant of the sea
And seaweeds can be added to a range of products for their taste as well as how they can be used to thicken soups or stabilise the texture of ice cream. As seaweeds have a umami flavour, many chefs also favour seaweeds as a way to enhance the depth of flavour in their dishes.
A climate-friendly and forest-friendly food
Thinking about what we eat has become an important environment-related talking point. As more of us try to eat less meat and dairy, we have seen a rise in the consumption of plant-based products (including burger patties, nuggets, and sausages), plant-based milk (soya, almond, rice, and oat milk), and other dairy alternatives (such as dairy-free yoghurt and cheese).Kelp recipes.
In the current market, plant-based “meat” is typically made from soya, with other plant-based proteins including peas, mushrooms, and wheat.
High in protein, low in salt
Importantly, seaweeds and algae could be worthy additions to this list. Though the protein content of seaweed differs between species (particularly as it goes through the production process), protein can account for up to 25% of the dry weight for green seaweeds, and 47% for red seaweeds.
This means that seaweeds could be used to supplement the nutritional content of protein alternatives. In particular, seaweeds are often low in sodium. As the salt content of plant-based meat products can be higher than similar products, seaweeds could be used as an alternative seasoning to salt, helping to improve the healthiness of these items while enhancing taste
Seaweeds also have the potential for sustainable farming along the UK coastline. When compared to other plant-based alternatives, this means they stand out for their ability to grow without freshwater or fertilisers and do not compete for land space.
Seaweed needs ‘taste profiling’ on the packaging (like wines do) for consumers to appreciate it more
Our research also suggests that including more taste-focused language on packaging (delicious, warm, rich) and providing recipe ideas to consumers (serve seaweed as a side dish) may be an important marketing strategy if future seaweed products are to find new audiences.
We need to make seaweed cheaper so everyone can enjoy it
There are some additional barriers that we need to consider. For example, like other plant-based alternative foods, seaweed can be more expensive, and high street availability is limited compared to online. Also, as the nutrients in seaweeds are affected by the waters they grow in, eating too much or consuming seaweeds from unregulated sources can affect food safety.
Overall, however, there are plenty of reasons why seaweed is a great food for the future.
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Hello, I’m Melody Lumby from the US state of Oregon. Throughout my career and life (over 50 years) I have been a passionate devotee of plants and a horticulturalist. Prior to retiring, I was a horticultural buyer for a retail nursery business and a lab technician in a horticultural laboratory, testing soil amendments and soil media for quality assurance.
I have always loved Begonias. I have loved them since falling for them at age 16 when I joined the American Begonia Society in Portland, Oregon – I am still a member!
When I first joined, it was me and a bevvy of sweet grannies and together we gathered to discuss and marvel over these plants.
Now after 50 years of living with, working with and loving begonias – I’m the one with the grey hair!
I’ve seen begonias go in and out of fashion over this time.
“Oh, yes. Begonias are a little old lady plant,” they used to say….now look at them!
Begonias are no longer citizens of Dorkville. They are coveted and collected by the hip and ‘planty’
Begonias are greatly coveted by hobbyists and are shown off on social media by hip and ‘planty’ enthusiasts.
I used to pay around $3.99 USD for certain begonias. Now? Some folks will pay $399 USD for unusual and desirable species of Begonia. Sometimes it can be even more expensive than that.
Begonias have been with me through the decades, a lovely silent friend to come home to after work, during life’s trials and joys, a beautiful accompaniment to a happy life.
~ Mel Lumby
Hidden in the jungles of SE Asia, scientists estimate that there are undiscovered begonia species to the tune of three to five hundred new species on Papua New Guinea. They occupy shady forest floors and limestone cliffs, without any name given by human kind. Horticultural commerce hasn’t had a glimpse of them yet.
On Borneo, it is estimated that 400 possibly even more species of Begonia exist – primarily in the under surveyed Kalimantan district.
Begonias, along with orangutans and many other rainforest inhabitants are in danger now. Will these precious jewels of the jungle be located by scientists, described, eventually named and shared, so that people can love and marvel at their incredible beauty? Or will the bulldozer get there first, destroying where they live, making way to plant oil palm plantations for cheap palm oil?
[Pictured] Begonia Rex, National Gallery of Canada (1868)
Come on an enchanting and curious journey into of the world’s most beautiful, medicinal and endangered plants of the rainforest: #Begonias with retired horticulturalist Mel Lumby @Norska11 #Boycott4Wildlife#Boycottpalmoil
Will exquisite #begonias become historical relics…no longer found in real life #rainforests? Not if Begonia lover Mel Lumby @Norska11 has anything to do with it! Help her fight for rare plants #Boycottpalmoil#Boycott4Wildlife
We buy inexpensive products that contain palm oil now. It is a cheap, useful, oil that manufacturers like to use. Cookies, crackers, frozen pizza, shampoo, face lotion.
We buy these products without realising that we are contributing to rainforest destruction. Those rainforest shady places where beautiful Begonias grow are vulnerable to deforestation for palmoil.
“We are destroying swathes of rainforest containing beautiful, jewel-like, treasures. I cannot sit by quietly, while our beautiful earth burns. I must act!”
“I thought that I would quietly retire at the beach, grow a flower garden and happily live out my days with my chickens. I have done this. But I cannot be silent. I am now adding my voice to many others who are trying to save the animals and plants we love from mass extinction. I am only one person, but I can do something.”
Mel lumby
Mel Lumby on Instagram: More begonias being carefully, lovingly grownMel Lumby’s Begonia moysesii in bloom Mel Lumby’s Instagram: Evey Big Buff and Eloise Little Miss, two of my buddies hanging out in the garden bed.
Deforestation for agriculture is a clear and present threat to tropical rainforests. Especially in Indonesia and Malaysia, economic growth has come at an enormous cost to its unique plants, wild animals and indigenous peoples.
In Indonesia, 10 million hectares of primary forest was lost over the past two decades. A 2019 study identified palm oil plantations to be responsible for 23% (the single largest proportion) of the deforestation in Indonesia between 2001 and 2016.
Over 3 million hectares of the forest estate in 2019 were allocated to palm oil production, which was in strict violation of national forestry law.
It is gut-wrenching and soul-destroying to see. Now palm oil threatens plants, animals and indigenous peoples in South America, India, Papua and Africa as well.
A diversity that rivals the African continent. This may be the highest number of plants of any region on Earth.
There are 931 Begonia species in Southeast Asia
Currently, there are 216 species and one subspecies of Begonia in Borneo.
In Sarawak alone there are 96 species, with an average of at least 10 species described per year over the past 7 years.
In Borneo, there are also 3,000 species of trees, 1,700 species of orchids and 50 carnivorous pitcher plant species.
The natural habitat of begonias is cool, moist forests and tropical rainforests, but some begonias are adapted to drier climates
[Pictured] Begonia socotrana grows in between the shady cracks in rock formations on the arid island of Socotra, Yemen.
Fast facts about the family Begoniaceae
They grow in the deeply shaded forest understory from the lowlands to mountain tops and on all rock types including granite, limestone, sandstone and ultramafic rocks.
The Begonia was named after a French botanist in the 17th century.
There are over 2,000 known species of family Begoniaceae – one of the largest genera of flowering plants. New species are being discovered almost on a monthly basis.
They are mostly terrestrial and are either herbs or undershrubs, but occasionally may be grown from air (ephiphytic).
They thrive in moist tropical and subtropical climates of South and Central America, Africa and southern Asia.
Their leaves are often large, vividly marked and are they are assymetrical and unequal-sided, giving each plant unique beauty.
They are popular ornamental plants for conservatories. Currently, begonias are incredibly trendy and are coveted and admired by house plant lovers all over the world.
[Pictured] Begonia Rex, National Gallery of Canada (1868)
The world’s tiniest begonia was recently discovered Begonia elachista.
They exist at the mouth of a limestone cave in central Peru and nowhere else in the world.
Then there is a newly described giant begonia from Tibet, tall enough to tower over a person: Begonia giganticaulis.
The pretty Florist’s Reiger Begonia comes in a fantastic array of colours including pinks, peaches, oranges, reds, yellows, white.
We cannot forget the lovely tuberous begonias that we plant in the shady reaches of our yards.
To plant large flowerbeds full of Wax begonias in summertime is a sheer delight.
During drought periods, Begonia socotrana drop their pretty, round, leaves and survive as a tuber.
Many years ago, Begonia socotrana was used as one of the parent plants to eventually create Florist’s Reiger Begonia mentioned above.
Mel Lumby
Exceptionally beautiful begonia paintings from history
Those lovely plants are there, for now, surrounded by tropical bird call and orangutan hoots. They often live in very small stretches of area, sometimes only existing on one hillside and nowhere else in the world. Plants can’t run away if that bulldozer comes, they are sessile, fixed in one place.
If a bulldozer razes everything and scrapes that Begonia inhabited hillside bare, that’s it – that particular begonia will be lost, gone forever from our earth in the wild. Millions of years of evolution, gone. All that beauty, gone.
Mel Lumby
[Pictured] ‘Diversity of Species in the Rainforest by Oro Verde – the Rainforest Foundation (2009).
Scientists are constantly discovering new Begonia species in Indonesia
Indonesia has one of the largest concentrations of of begonia species diversity, especially in Southeast Asia with 243 species. In 2022 alone, at least a dozen new species were discovered, here in this article below, seven are mentioned.
Hoya batutikarensis
Hoya buntokensis
Dendrobium dedeksantosoi
Rigiolepis argentii
Begonia robii
Begonia willemii
Etlingera comosa
Read the full story: ‘Indonesian researchers discover seven new species of ornamental plants,’ Indonesian Window.
Indonesia is an archipelago consisting of approximately 17,508 islands and is covered by tropical rain forest, seasonal forest, mountain vegetation, subalpine shrub vegetation, swamp and coastal vegetation. With its reflective mixture of Asian and Australian native species, Indonesia is said to possess the second largest biodiversity in the world, with around 40,000 endemic plant species including 6,000 medicinal plants
We may be losing plants with medicinal purposes and cures as yet unknown which will help humankind
If we bulldoze Borneo, plow down Papua New Guinea, annihilate the Amazon, we wipe out incredibly beautiful plants that haven’t yet been discovered!
It isn’t just Begonias. It’s orchids and all sorts of fascinating tropical plant species. Nepenthes, the pitcher plant species. Aroids – the wonderful Philodendron relatives of Begonias that are also popular now.
Begonia medicinalis was discovered only recently in 2019 by scientists. This incredible species of begonia native to Sulawesi has been used as a medicinal plant by Indigenous peoples for 1000’s of years. Now this plant has been shown to have the potential to fight cancer!
Begonia medicinalis is known as benalu batu in Bahasa Indonesia is a herbal plant that is locally used for traditional medicines. The secondary metabolites such as flavonoids, alkaloids, steroids, and terpenoids have been reported to be found in these plant extracts. The content of flavonoids can lead to anti-cancer abilities while heat-sensitive flavonoid compounds can be extracted by the Ultrasound-assisted Extraction (UAE) method.
In this study, the anticancer potential of B. medicinalis extracts from the leaves (leaves extract/LE) and stem (stem extract/SE) in three cell lines (Hela, MDA-MB, HT-29) have been performed.
The anticancer potential was obtained from cytotoxic measurements by the MTT method on 3 types of cancer cells incubated with the extract for 24 hours. The value of total flavonoid content (TFC) in the LE was higher than that of SE extracts. Both extracts have the potential as a remedy for the treatment of cancer.
Begonia isoptera is used by indigenous peoples in Borneo and has profoundly important medicinal properties
This Begonia species found in Borneo has been used by indigenous peoples for aeons for medicinal purposes. A study from 2011 has found that this begonia species has positive antimicrobial and antibacterial effects on the human body.
Indonesia’s native plants: A medicine cabinet of powerful drugs growing in the rainforest
Indigenous peoples in Indonesia have been using native medicinal plants from their medicine cabinet – the rainforest for 1000’s of years. These medicines are influenced by Indian Ayurveda since Hinduism spread from India to Asia.
[Pictured]: Dyak/Dayak peoples in Borneo have a rich knowledge of ancient plant medicine that is recognised by western science. Images from PxFuel, creative commons.
Indigenous treatments using plants involve a combination of physical and spiritual aspects to form a holistic approach to healing.
The inclusion of indigenous medicinal plants not found in India enhanced Indigenous Indonesian medication. This was further enriched by the influence of Chinese and Arabian traders to the islands.
Dayak indigenous peoples of Borneo are knowledge-keepers of ancient indigenous medicine and treatment from plants. This knowledge is passed down from generation to generation. Now western medicine is realising just how important it is to keep these plants from going extinct. Research shows that these plants may hold the key to unlocking fatal diseases like dementia and cancer, as well as being useful for treating common illnesses and injuries.
Most of this indigenous knowledge of medicine is not recorded. It is passed down verbally in stories from generation to generation and healer to healer.
Dayak Indigenous Ethnographer Dr Setia Budhi: In His Own Words
“For Dayak peoples in Borneo, the land is mother, where they plant fruit, vegetables and grains for their families. The soil is mother where trees grow and develop.
“From these trees they harvest an abundance of creeping rattan for medicine, food and crafts.
“The forest has a ritual function, a medicinal function and a family protection function.”
Historically, Dutch colonialists of Indonesia incorporated elements of indigenous medicine into their treatments, due to lack of availability of western medicine from the 17th to the 19th centuries. Medical texts from this period show that physicians found traditional medicines to be legitimate and effective in treating common illnesses. These publications include:
De medicina Indorum by Bontius in 1642
The Ambonese herbal by Rumphius in 1741
Materia Indica by van der Burg in 1885
De nuttige planten van Nederlansch Indie by Heyne in 1927
Select Indonesian medicinal plants by Steenis Kruseman in 1953
The Medical Journal of the Dutch East-Indies (1894- 1925)
[Pictured] Dutch colonialists overseeing the local workers in a warehouse in Deli Medan North Sumatra, 1897. www.nationaalarchief.nl
Since the 1970’s, the use of lab-based equipment, technology and computational modelling has revealed the remarkable properties of Indonesian rainforest plants, which have anti-viral, anti-malarial, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agents within them.
This is what stands to be lost if more rainforests are destroyed for timber and palm oil in SE Asia, Papua, Africa and South America
“I can’t only be a begonia collector/grower anymore. Boycotts work to shift brands to act when governments fail to act” ~ Mel Lumby
Please join me and a growing number of people around the world who love nature, rainforests, animals and plants and who make an effort daily to push back against the corrupt and greedy people funded by the palm oil industry to spread greenwashing misinformation about “sustainable” palm oil.
Borneo is in great danger of being destroyed by deforestation to plant palm oil plantations.
Other places as well: Papua New Guinea, The Amazon, African countries like Guinea. You have seen the news. Our world is in trouble.
There are places with undiscovered endemic plant species with very limited habitats being bulldozed, burned and cut down. Science hasn’t even found these plants! We chop down their only habitat before they get discovered!
Amazing new Begonia species are being discovered all the time in Borneo: Begonia baik,Begonia darthvaderiana, Begonia nothobarimensis. And on and on. Scientists are still finding new and wonderful species there.
It’s super easy to get into a nihilist mindset these days
“It is a struggle and depressing when one realises how everything in the natural world is set up to be used, abused and destroyed – simply for profit!
“We have all been through ‘some things’ these last few years, that’s for sure! I just focus, concentrate and keep going. When it all gets too much, I take a couple of days to chill. Then I begin again with campaigning against tropical deforestation and against palm oil.”
Begonia rajah is a species of flowering plant in the family Begoniaceae, native to Peninsular Malaysia. They typically have striking bronze leaves and contrasting green veins, and are best suited for terrariums.
Watercolour painting of Begonia rajah of an original wild-collected plant grown in the Botanic Gardens, Singapore via Singapore Botanic Gardens.
Stinky meat flowers of Borneo: Rafflesia arnoldii & Rafflesia pricei
Borneo is also home to the largest flower in the world, Rafflesia arnoldii. They along with their relatives, are parasites, living their entire lives inside of tropical vines. These amazing plants only ever emerge when it is time to flower and flower they do! Their superficial resemblance to a rotting carcass goes much deeper than looks alone. These flowers give off a fetid odour of rotting flesh that is proportional to their size, but not to their visual beauty. This aroma has earned them the nickname “carrion flowers.”
Rafflesia pricei by Rimbawan on Getty Images Rafflesia arnoldsii by Boris 25 on Getty Images
12 new species of begonia were found on Sarawak in 2022
Twelve new species and one new record of Begonia (Begoniaceae) from Sarawak, Malaysia, are described. All species belong to Begonia sect. Petermannia. Three species are recorded from Totally Protected Areas, one species occurs both within and outside Totally Protected Areas, and eight species occur only outside Totally Protected Areas.
“Polka-dotted. Striped. Furry. Shiny. Bumpy. Ferny. Maple-shaped. Elm-shaped. Grass-shaped. Black, silver, pink, mossy green and bright apple green leaf colors. Reds and oranges, too. Some will shine in the deep forest, with a beautiful blue sheen. The variety of Begonias is incredible!”
Mel Lumby
If you can successfully grow a Darth Vader Begonia – consider yourself a badass
Begonia darthvaderiana
Discovered in 2013 by C.W. Lin, S.W. Chung and C.I. Peng and found in Sarawak, Borneo and found in shaded valleys, streams and slopes.
Not a beginners begonia, this one is challenging to grow. They need a humid terrarium environment. Even then, their leaves are prone to ‘melting’ if temperatures, humidity waver too much from what they like.
This beautiful species has a cane-like habit, olive black leaves and red colouring underneath, with a white to lime green edging.
Begonia amphioxus was discovered in 1984 growing on a limestone hill of Batu Punggul in Sabah, Borneo.
Their red polka dots, bizarre and narrow leaves and pointed at both ends give this species an unusual look.
This delicate looking begonia not only has aesthetic appeal but also commercial value and are highly collectable by plant hobbyists.
They love high humidity and require a terrarium to grow. Once happy they will produce tiny white flowers.
Threats in the wild include timber logging, palm oil, mining and quarrying for limestone and marble. Fires, droughts and extreme weather due to climate change along with tourist activities.
Every animal species in Borneo relies on native plants, including humans! So it’s about time we look after Borneo’s plants – because they look after us all!
Without direct intervention in Borneo’s national parks to protect plants and animals: Everyone from orchids and orangutans, begonias and binturongs will go extinct!
When wildlife photographer and photojournalist Craig Jones visited Sumatra, Indonesia he found protected rainforests being destroyed by multinational palm oil companies – under the greenwashing guise of “sustainable” RSPO palm oil.
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Elusive, forest-dwelling apex predators in New Guinea, Papuan eagles are classified as vulnerable and rapidly declining due to enormous deforestation for gold mining and palm oil in Papua New Guinea and West Papua along with hunting threats. They are poorly studied birds and therefore estimates of their populations may be severely overestimated, meaning that they are in much more serious strife than we know. Help them every time you shop and be #vegan, #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife
While there have probably never been high densities of the Papuan eagle, evidence indicates that they are declining rapidly. It is possible that the entire population is considerably under 10,000 individuals. There is no evidence that the Papuan eagle is adaptable to the opening of forests and the eagles appear to abandon areas especially where logging roads have been cut into the forests.
However they are opportunistic hunters and will also eat doves, chickens, hornbills, cockatoos, dwarf cassowaries (weighing 13.5 kg), wild pigs, new guinea singing dogs, and large reptiles such as monitor lizards and pythons.
Despite their large eyes, Papuan eagles are diurnal hunters (like other eagles) and they glide inconspicuously and silently from branch to branch to hunt during the day listening for sounds of movement in the undergrowth and shaking and tearing at foliage to force small mammals to poke their heads out.
Papuan eagles can move and run along the ground with surprising speed and agility in order to hunt forest-floor dwelling prey such as megapodes (chicken-like terrestrial birds).
Threats
While there have probably never been high densities of the Papuan eagle, evidence indicates that they are declining rapidly.
Estimates range from between 1,500 and 15,000 individuals, but it is not known if this describes all individuals or merely just the breeding population, but it is certain to be a very rough estimate. It is possible that the entire population is considerably under 10,000 individuals.
Their main threats are anthropogenic and relate to deforestation for mining, palm oil and timber along with illegal hunting. They have no known protection or conservation in place.
Mating and breeding
Little is known about the breeding of Papuan eagles, however they appear to breed during the dry season between April and November. Nests are placed on the canopy of trees at least 30 metres high, deep in the forest. Eggs are placed over the top of mosses. Their nests are enormous, often measuring three metres in diameter.
Based on the fact that not more than one nestling nor the remnants of more than one egg have ever been found in a Papuan eagle nest, it is assumed that they lay only a single egg.
However, other details of the egg-laying, incubation, nestling and fledgling process in this species are not known to date. Evidence suggests that they may only be able to breed every two years.
New Guinea singing dogs (which are able to climb trees) are known to take the bird’s eggs and in retribution they are sometimes killed by Papuan eagle pairs.
Habitat
Endemic to West Papua and Papua New Guinea, the Papuan eagle was once found on every part of the island, however their range has shrunk rapidly due to deforestation for palm oil, timber and gold mining. Their main habitat is undisturbed tropical rainforests, monsoon scrub forests, dry woodlands and in extremely rare cases, forest edges and they are found at elevations of up to 3,200 – 3,700 metres.
Appearance
This powerful raptor has unusual body proportions with a large prominent head, a powerful large bill and large eyes with piercing brown or orange irises. Their robust and chesty build tapers down to extremely elongated legs in a brown-grey or orange colour. They are the only member of the genus Harpyopsis.
As Papuan eagles age, the colour of their eyes becomes more vivid, with one 30 year old eagle possessing red eyes.
There is sexual dimorphism with females around 34% larger than males. They have a shorter wingspan than other large eagles of around 121 – 157 cm in length and a body mass of between 1.6-2.4 kg. They are a greyish brown colour with a creamy coloured underside speckled with darker feathers. The tail is the same colour as the back and is tipped with a white and black bands along with a cream coloured undertail. Juvenile birds possess a slightly paler grey brown colour.
The call of the Papuan eagle carries very well in the forests of New Guinea and varies from a startlingly loud uumpph, suggesting a very loud hiccup or taut bowstring. Their main call is occasionally followed by a chicken-like but more loud and powerful buk-buk-buk. Also, a deep resonant bungh-bungh may be uttered at 2-3 second intervals. A high-pitched whining call has also been reported. Pairs may call at dawn and dusk and even call during night.
Protecting the Papuan eagle would also protect many other plant and animal species in Papua New Guinea and West Papua
There are fewer records of Papuan eagles from logged forest, where they are probably less common, and habitat is also being slowly lost to subsistence gardens and infrastructure projects. Logging roads also open up previously inaccessible areas to hunting, but in many areas (e.g. southern Papua New Guinea), logging occurs in areas of low human population density (I. Woxvold pers. comm. 2016).
There are no known conservation activities in place for this animal. Make sure you #Boycottpalmoil and #Boycott4Wildlife in the supermarket and raise awareness of these beautiful birds to support their survival! Find out more here
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil#Boycott4Wildlife.
2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
The Sumatran rhino was once common across Asia, but its population worldwide has decreased by 80% in just three decades.
Recent assessment by the IUCN stated that the overall number of Sumatran rhinos is no more than 80 individuals – only 30 among them are adults. These individuals are dispersed throughout Aceh, Lampung, and Kalimantan.
It is not an easy task to save the Sumatran rhinos, but it is not impossible either. Over time, challenges continued to arise due to their not only shrinking but also scattered population.
Rhinos are herbivores that feed on leaves, buds, and twigs. They consume hundreds of different plants. In the rain forest habitat, rhinos feed on lower stratum plants such as the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), seedlings or young trees from the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), and even Gluta plants (Gluta spp.) that cause rashes when eaten by humans.
Rhinos also often roam in forest gaps, such as those that have been cleared due to fallen trees where regrowth takes place. Rhinos can look for food in the edge of forests, where a lot of seedlings, herbaceous plants, and other food are easily accessible. In order to sustain their lifestyle, rhinos require a diverse range of habitats, including sites for wallowing.
Both rhino species have extremely small populations
The population of the two rhino species are extremely small: each has fewer than 80 individuals. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of threatened species, both are now classified as “Critically Endangered” – only one category away from being classed as “Extinct in the Wild.”
The conservation efforts of the Javan rhinos have showed positive results in recent years. The population in Ujung Kulon National Park in southwestern Java has grown to 75 individuals.
Conservation efforts of the Sumatran rhino, on the other hand, have faced their own set of challenges.
Based on more than a decade of my experience to support monitoring, protection, and policy-making, as well as extensive communication with activists in the field, here I will explain the Sumatran rhinoceros’ unique conditions. I will then highlight urgent actions needed to save them.
In addition to the need for food, Sumatran and Javan rhinos also need habitats that allow them to wallow. Sunarto
Keep the forest intact to keep rhinos alive
When the world’s forests were still intact and human disturbance was still rare, Sumatran rhinos could easily and safely explore, obtain, and enjoy their food and interact with one another.
However, within the last few decades, human activities have increased dramatically.
Eventually, these rhinos lived an isolated life from one another, while their population continued to decrease.
The rhinos then experienced a phenomenon known as the Allee Effect. This phenomenon begins with the decline in the animal population in a certain area, which then leads to a decrease in their ability to reproduce.
Imagine if this happened to humans, and our species consisted of only 100 surviving individuals, split into five groups on two islands – thousands of kilometers apart. Individual interaction, let alone finding a companion, will be challenging.
This is the Sumatran rhino’s main vulnerability today.
Under these circumstances, poaching bans and habitat protection will not be enough to prevent extinction. Critical situations like these can only be alleviated by increasing the birth rate of rhinos.
However, at the same time, the Sumatran rhinos are becoming more fragile due to their peculiar physiology and mating behavior.
Female Sumatran rhinos have only one reproductive cycle every 18-24 days, while the fertility window only lasts 24 to 48 hours. Encounters that occur outside that time window will be futile, and would not produce offspring.
Even if a meeting does take place at the right moment, it may not develop into a meaningful union between the rhinos. This double-horned species has a certain kind of aggressive ritual perhaps to assess the worthiness of a potential mate before reproducing. Partner incompatibility can cause the mating process to fail.
To make matters more complicated, the rhino’s shrinking population also increase the risk of inbreeding. This can lead to a variety of undesirable consequences, such as certain illnesses and overall declining fitness.
Unpartnered adult female individuals are at further risk of pathological disorders in their reproductive organs. This can lead to infertility.
Recently, there have been reported signs of rhino extirpation in a number of sites, including Bukit Barisan Selatan and even Way Kambas in Lampung, Sumatra. These reports have not included population conditions in smaller patches in Aceh.
Rhino horns are sought by hunters and poachers. Photo: Sunarto
The plan consists of various strategies for the population recovery, including rescuing rhinos from the wild.
The targeted rhinos are rescued and brought to the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary – a semi-natural breeding facility. This step was taken to increase the number of rhinos available for semi-natural reproduction, and also assisted breeding through the help of technology.
Before the national rescue plan, there were successful captive breeding efforts, such as those taking place in the Way Kambas facility. With collaboration from the Indonesia government and The Rhino Foundation of Indonesia, two rhino calves named Andatu and Delilah were born in 2012 and 2016. Both have been carefully cared for and are growing healthily to this day.
Besides Way Kambas, there are also another facility built in West Kutai, East Kalimantan. The government plans to develop more of these facilities in Aceh.
These rescue efforts aim to increase the available rhino stock for breeding, as there are now only seven in the Way Kambas facility – with only one pair among them possessing the ability to generate offsprings – and one individual without any mates in West Kutai.
Meanwhile, major initiatives to safeguard rhinos from poaching continue to be part of the national rescue plan as a supporting program.
The implementation of the rescue plan, which has unfortunately been hampered by the pandemic, must be accelerated and regularly evaluated to adapt to new research findings, experiences, and discoveries from the field.
For instance, the conservation strategy in Bukit Barisan National Park or Way Kambas National Park should be updated, because there is new evidence that the rhino population has recently declined and even vanished. When the national rescue plan was put together, the two areas were thought to still have a large number of rhinos.
A recent study also provides valuable insight: most rhinos taken from isolated populations (more than 70%) tend to have pathological disorders in their reproductive organs, such as tumors and cysts that prevent them from conceiving.
Such individuals can actually still contribute to breeding efforts, but require the help of assisted reproductive technology – ART by harvesting gametes or egg cells to produce embryos.
Efforts to search for rhinos eligible for semi-natural breeding should therefore be concentrated on fertile and healthy individuals. These individuals are most probably only available in vast and robust populations – other individuals rescues from isolated areas who are likely to have reproductive problems, need to be supported by ART.
The government need to work in all areas to strengthen conservation strategy: leading the way for rescue efforts, promoting collaboration, and encouraging the involvement of communities and strategic partners.
It is a daunting task, but the recipe, resources and experience for a successful mission are available. It requires the government’s adaptive leadership and teamwork with synergy of all parties to accelerate Sumatran rhino recovery.
Here are some other ways you can help by using your wallet as a weapon and joining the #Boycott4Wildlife
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Today is ‘International Day of Struggle Against Monoculture Plantations’. World Rainforest Movement have produced a powerful video to highlight the Ugandan people’s struggle against BIDCO an international company partly owned by global palm oil giant #Wilmar, who are taking land by force from locals by making false promises and using coercion and #violence. They do so under the #greenwashing protection of the #RSPO
The video was produced by the Informal Alliance against Industrial Oil Palm Plantations in West and Central Africa and showcases community stories of resistance on Buvuma Island in Uganda.
Bidco/Wilmar are trying to expand their oil palm plantations on this ecologically important island which features many endangered species. They are making false promises and using coercion and violence in order to take land by force from local communities.
Despite continuous media-based misinformation and greenwashing about the situation in Uganda, communities are determined to resist and raise awareness by exposing the corrupt and deceptive practices of the company so that other communities in Uganda and elsewhere in the world do not fall into the same traps.
A version of this article was originally published by World Rainforest movement, GRAIN and Farm Land Grab on the 12th September 2022 and is shared here under the Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.
Why are local communities and environmentalists worried about Buvuma, Uganda?
Ugandan environmentalists are alarmed by the prospect and are warning of the loss of biodiversity and possible extinction of species.
Investors want to establish 40,000 hectares in total of palm oil plantations. With 10,000 hectares of oil palm plantations on the ecologically significant Buvuma Island in Lake Victoria.
“People will be robbed of their land and forests and have this destroyed to plant oil palms, which massively degrades the island’s ecosystem,” Akiiza notes.
Environmentalist Joan Akiiza of the National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE).
Photo_ Friends of the Earth Africa meet to discuss how the RSPO is not a solution for land grabbing and violence
On the island of Bugala, they have already destroyed 8,500 hectares of forest – and with it, destroyed the livelihoods of numerous families.
Villagers on Buvuma fear that they are next in line to have their land stolen and human rights trampled.
Bidco: false promises, coercion and land-grabbing in Uganda
Bidco is a multinational company that produces edible oils, detergents, soaps and margarine, is active in the Lake Victoria region. The company is partially owned by Wilmar International, a Singaporean palm oil giant that has been implicated in environmental destruction and human rights violations in numerous countries.
Foreign companies need the approval of the Ugandan government to access land. Since they are not allowed to own land by law, the government has been buying land from unsuspecting locals and leasing it to companies.
“High profile NDPE and RSPO policies contrast with Wilmar’s implementation on the ground and implementation in its whole supply chain”
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The Temminck’s pangolin Smutsia temminckii is remarkable mammal. They are the second largest of the pangolin species and are reported to weigh between…
The Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius is one of West Africa’s most #endangered#primates, facing an escalating crisis of habitat loss and overhunting.…
✊🏽 ✊🏽 El 21 de Septiembre organizaciones, redes y movimientos celebran la resistencia y alzan sus voces para exigir que se detenga la expansión de las plantaciones industriales de árboles: https://t.co/cXxpZEq81gpic.twitter.com/amS2Fm18Hx
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
There are estimated to be only 180-600 eagles left in the wild. Protecting the Philippine eagle would also protect 780 other plant and animal species in the Philippines. Help them every time you shop and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife
Forest destruction and fragmentation, through commercial timber extraction and shifting cultivation, is their principal long-term threat. Much of the land surrounding Davao, Philippines has been converted from forest land to agricultural to grow banana, coffee, cacao, palm oil and another oil-producing plant called jatropha.
The Philippine Eagle was formerly known as the Monkey-eating Eagle. The species preys opportunistically on a variety of animals. They have been known to eat flying lemurs, small ungulates, humans, asian palm civets, macaques, flying squirrels, fruit bats, rats, hornbills, snakes, monitor lizards, pigs and small dogs.
Mating
They are monogamous and mate for life, unless one of the pair dies. Their breeding cycle lasts around 2 years and both parents share the care of fledglings for around 20 months.
Habitat
Endemic to the Philippines, these majestic eagles are found on only four islands: Leyte, Luzon, Mindanao, and Samar. They are found in old growth dipterocarp and montane forests, particularly in steep areas. They range from lowlands to mountains of over 1,800 m tall. Only an estimated 9,220 km2of old-growth forest remain in the Philippine Eagle’s range.
Threats
Populations are being squeezed and contracted by multiple threats including: deforestation and declining, fragmented habitat. Pressures include agricultural expansion for timber, palm oil, banana, coffee and cacao.Mining operations,uncontrolled illegal poaching, pesticide accumulation and extreme weather events caused by climate change. The killing this critically endangered species is punishable under Philippine law by 12 years in jail and heavy fines. Their population has decreased to only 180 to 600 eagles. A series of floods and mud slides, caused by deforestation have further devastated the remaining wild population. The Philippine eagle may soon no longer be found in the wild, unless direct intervention is taken.
Appearance
The Philippine eagle’s neck is festooned with a shaggy crest in a creamy brown colour. Their faces are a dark with piercing and bright blue-grey eyes. The undersides of their wings are white and their heavy, muscular legs are tipped with powerful dark claws.
They are the longest extant species of eagle, with an average total body length of 95 cm for males and 105 cm for females. Sexual dimophism is not certain but males are estimated be around 10% smaller than females.
There has only ever been one species of eagle longer than this – the now extinct Haast eagle of Aotearoa New Zealand (average of 112 cm in body length). They have an impressive wingspan of between 1.8-2 metres.
They make their presence known in the forest with a loud, high-pitched whistles ending with inflections in pitch. Additionally, younger eagles have been known to beg for food by a series of high-pitched calls.
Protecting the Philippine eagle would also protect 780 other plant and animal species in the Philippines
The Peregrine Fund considers the Philippine eagle an “umbrella species,” meaning that “conserving Philippine eagles and their habitat automatically provides protection for all the other plants and animals that live there too.” This would include the 780 plant and animal species in the Philippines that are listed as “Threatened” on the IUCN Red List, including the critically endangered freshwater crocodile, tamaraw, Walden’s hornbill, Philippine cockatoo and the Philippine forest turtle.
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil#Boycott4Wildlife.
2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
More and more palm oil free 🦧 products in Australia 🇦🇺. Customer awareness is increasing month by month. Of course Bart Van Assen will keep pushing "sustainable" palm oil with Orangutan Land Trust. Boycott palm oil to protect wildlife! There is not planet B #boycott4wildlifepic.twitter.com/rm7chub5Rb
If possible to get Ovomaltine, please promote it among your friends. It openly advertises with 0 palm oil. No RSPO no bullshit. For me it even tasts better than nuttela. It substantiates that chocolate spread can be made delicious without filthy palm oil. pic.twitter.com/cyV5Tm3tLd
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
The race is on to find a real solution to stop palm oil ecocide. For several years now, several new #biotech companies have been busy generating alternatives to palm oil that are healthier for human consumption and don’t require the destruction of rainforests sending thousands of species to extinction. Learn more about palm oil grown in labs synthesised from algae, microbes, CO2 and more. #BoycottPalmOil#Boycott4Wildlife
Unlike #greenwashing promises of the @RSPOtweets to stop #deforestation for palm oil – novel solutions made in labs will actually deliver deforestation-free #palmoil alternatives. Should we be cautiously hopeful? Yes! #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect 💡🙂https://palmoildetectives.com/2022/09/11/reasons-to-hope-palm-oil-alternatives-made-without-deforestation/
Lab-grown alternatives to palm oil provide animal advocates and environmental activists with reasons to be cautiously hopeful for the future of mass-produced supermarket goods like cleaning products, pet food, beauty products, and food – 50% of which contain palm oil.
The team behind Smey, an AI-enabled yeast alternative to palm oil.
What is it?
Smey is developing a lab-created alternative to palm oil and cocoa butter using a combination of yeast fermentation and artificial intelligence. The company’s precision fermentation process creates cultured fats and specialty oils that replicate the functional and sensory qualities of tropical oils, but without the environmental destruction linked to conventional palm oil and cocoa production. Smey’s fats are designed for use in food manufacturing, confectionery, and cosmetics, offering a deforestation-free, climate-friendly solution for global supply chains, in time for the #EUDR.
“Using AI models, we identify strains that naturally produce specific fatty acid profiles like stearic acid for cocoa butter mimetics. Once a suitable strain is selected, we proceed to fermentation under optimised lab conditions. The goal here is to fine-tune the triglyceride composition, a critical factor that determines the oil’s melting profile, skin feel, and absorption rate.”
Smey Founder Viktor Sartakov-Korzhov explains to Green Queen.
Who is behind it?
Smey is a German-French biotech startup headquartered in Paris. The company was founded by a team of scientists and technologists who specialise in merging data science with biotechnology. Smey’s leadership includes experts in precision fermentation, AI, and sustainable ingredient development. The company employs 11–50 people and serves clients in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. Smey’s product portfolio includes not only palm oil alternatives but also cocoa butter equivalents, MCT oils, and other specialty fats.
Goal/Objective:
Smey’s mission is to decarbonise the global fats and oils industry by replacing environmentally destructive tropical oils with lab-grown, precision-fermented alternatives. By leveraging AI to optimise yeast fermentation, Smey aims to drastically reduce the land use, emissions, and biodiversity loss associated with palm oil and cocoa production.
When will it be used in supermarket goods?
Smey’s cultured fats are currently being piloted with food manufacturers and ingredient suppliers in Europe. The estimated retail launch date is mid 2027. The company is actively scaling its production and working with partners.
SMEY. (2025). Engineered protein, sweetener, fats & oils supplier. Retrieved July 13, 2025, from https://www.smey.cc/company
“Smey’s primary focus is on cultivated oils, as these products are ready for industrial scaling and already showing strong commercial traction. Ovalbumin is a key functional protein in food formulations. Given the regulatory pathway, especially for food proteins, we expect Smey Ovo to reach the market in mid-2027.”
Smey Founder Viktor Sartakov-Korzhov explains to Green Queen.
Levur
What is it?
Levur is creating a biotechnology-driven alternative to palm oil using yeast fermentation. The product aims to replicate the texture and functionality of palm oil commonly found in food and cosmetic products like processed snacks and soaps. Unlike traditional palm oil, this lab-grown version is designed to avoid the massive deforestation and biodiversity loss linked to oil palm plantations.
Who is behind it?
Levur is an Australian biotech startup co-founded by scientists Tom Collier and Joanne Barber, based in Sydney, Australia. Levur is backed by Main Sequence, a major venture fund investing in science-based startups, and took part in SparkLabs Cultiv8, an accelerator program for agri-food and biotech innovation. Their project was recently recognised as one of five Australian finalists selected from over 100 entries in the KPMG Nature Positive Challenge, securing a $100,000 consulting prize.
Goal/Objective:
Their mission is to radically reduce environmental harm of palm oil industry, which is responsible for massive rainforest destruction, endangering thousands of species all over the tropical world. They hope to help giant global industries towards a just transition to ingredients that preserve biodiversity, human health and planetary health.
Levur was inspired by Collier’s visit to Borneo for a documentary looking at how the palm oil industry caused deforestation and and the survival of threatened species such as orangutans.
When will it be used in supermarket goods?
No specific retail launch date has been announced, however Levur’s win in the Nature Positive Challenge in 2025 is expected to fast-track development of a viable alternative to palm oil.
“Winning feels like a pivotal moment for Levur. It’s a validation of the mission our team has worked so hard to make a reality and a powerful reminder of why we started this journey: to protect our planet and create solutions that leave a lasting impact. Thanks to this prize, we’ll be able to scale faster and reach more markets, helping to commercialise our sustainable alternative to palm oil.”
Locus Ingredients is producing a new class of biobased biosurfactants for use in personal care, cosmetics, and home cleaning products. These biosurfactants offer a safe and environmentally-friendly alternative to palm oil that comes from destroyed rainforests.
The company generates surfactants made via a fermentation process that use non-GMO sugars, fatty acids, and microorganisms such as yeasts or fungi. Unlike bio-based surfactants made through high-energy chemical synthesis, Locus’s approach is low-impact and non-toxic. Their production system is powered by modular fermentation, bioinformatics, and specialised purification. This allows for rapid, cost-effective, and large-scale manufacturing. Locus Ingredients’ surfactants are suitable for use in products like shampoos, micellar water, creams, and conditioners.
Who is behind it?
The technology is developed by Locus FS, a US-based fermentation specialist, with commercialisation managed through their Locus Ingredients division. David Anderson, Senior Vice President of Locus Ingredients, leads the innovation strategy. The company has secured an exclusive distribution agreement with Dow Chemical for personal care and home care applications, expanding global market access for the product.
Goal/Objective:
Locus aims to disrupt the palm oil-derived surfactant market, which contributes to tropical deforestation and pollution. Their biosurfactants offer superior performance, skin gentleness, and a lower carbon footprint, making them ideal for eco-conscious brands. The broader mission is to eliminate reliance on destructive agricultural oils and transition the cosmetics industry toward regenerative, biotechnologically-produced alternatives.
When will it be used in supermarket goods?
The ingredients are already available for use in commercial formulations and are being adopted through Dow’s global distribution networks. With a recent 100,000-square-foot facility expansion, Locus is now positioned as one of the world’s largest producers of biosurfactants and can meet current market demand for palm-free ingredients at scale.
“We are also always enhancing our production process to further minimise our already low carbon footprint. Through our technology and formulary library we aim to educate manufacturers and consumers on the best ways to create clean product formulations. We are also continuing to expand our line of biosurfactants, with new glycolipid ingredient offerings.”
UK based start-up producing a local, circular alternative to palm oil, made from natural yeast using a non-GM process in a lab.
Who is behind it?
The Clean Food Group was co-founded by CEO Alex Neves and co-chairman Ed McDermott in 2021. However, the foundational technology was developed over eight years at the University of Bath by Professor of Bioengineering the University of Bath, Chris Chuck. They have so far gained £1.65M in funding.
Goal/Objective:
To make clean, healthier palm oil derivatives that can be used within food or cosmetic formulations. These provide a clear alternative to palm oil grown in the traditional way which causes irrevocable damage to our planet and health.
“We are well placed to take the next step on the path of bringing our palm oil alternative to market.
Alex Neves, Co-Founder and CEO of Clean Food Group, EU startups
“Our dependence on palm oil comes at a great environmental cost. We’ve worked over many years to create robust palm oil alternatives that give us a real chance to cut the impact of a range of products. Up until now it has only been possible to produce these products with palm oil and the deforestation, emissions and pollution that comes with that”
Chris Chuck, Clean Food Group Technical Advisor and Professor of Bioprocess Engineering at the University of Bath.
NoPalm produces microbial oils to replace the use of palm- and other tropical oils in food, cosmetics, and detergents. The oil is manufactured by fermenting food waste in a circular, environmentally friendly way.
Who is behind it?
A start-up in the Netherlands founded by Lars Langhout and Jeroen Hugenholtz in 2021.
Goal/Objective:
That no forests anywhere in the world continue to be burned down for palm oil plantations.
How is it made?
Oil is produced from rejected vegetables, potato peels or sugar beets that are fermented with oleaginous yeasts. Whereas normally these waste products would be destroyed or thrown away, NoPalm gives waste biomass a second life. The process is similar to brewing beer or winemaking except for the type of yeast used.
“There is no argument as to why palm oil plantations should continue to run in the long-term. We have a solution that’s local, which can leverage local supply chains to produce it, doesn’t require deforestation or transportation to produce it and limits the use of chemicals. Imagine if all companies in the world started using microbial oil instead of palm oil. We could make a real impact and eliminate palm oil in an accelerated way.”
In 2022, the team have received initial funding of 1.5 million euro and are looking for more. They anticipate the ingredient will be available in consumer goods within the next few years.
In April 2025, the NoPalm team made an announcement that they are launching REVÓLEO™—a fermentation-based oil replacing #palmoil in the food and beauty markets. The team explained that REVÓLEO™ means 90% fewer emissions, 99% less land use. Read more at Vegconomist.
GreenOn is a biotech company producing oils and derivatives that can be used to replace palm oil, coconut oil and animal fats, powered by carbon dioxide, electricity and water.
Who is behind it?
GreenOn is a Swedish biotech start-up founded in 2021 by Annette Cecilia Granéli and Roland Vestergren. Initial funding for the technology comes from palm oil polluter and deforestator (and RSPO member) AAK for their go-to-market commercialisation, they have invested $125K so far.
“We hope our product technology can relieve the challenges of agricultural production on the environment.”
GREEN ON’S WEBSITE
How is it made?
Their novel ‘Power-to-Food’ concept uses fossil-free electricity, carbon dioxide and water to produce customised saturated fats that can be used in products such as baked foods, cheese, ice cream, chocolate and shortening. Green-On also makes mono and diglycerides that may be used as emulsifiers in food products.
When will it be used in supermarket goods?
Products are still being developed, however it’s estimated that product ingredients to replace palm oil will be ready at the earliest by 2024.
“We came up with a concept to produce food that bypasses traditional agriculture. We started Green-On to bring deforestation-free ingredients to the food and feed industry.”
“Our palm oil doesn’t even involve palm trees. It doesn’t cause deforestation, endangering precious animal species, or forcing inhumane labor practices. The result is a world where consumers can enjoy the products they love without worrying about the dangerous practices involved in making them.”
C16 Biosciences website.
Who is behind it?
C16 Biosciences are a New York City based start-up that are female-founded, and have a majority female team. Established in 2017, they have received $20 million in funding from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a fund established by Bill Gates along with other investors to support innovations that fight climate change.
Goal/Objective:
“The RSPO has been trying for the last decade to solve this problem of palm oil deforestation through supply chain traceability, and it has largely failed.
“Our real mission is ending the need for deforestation that’s driven by the palm oil industry. We believe that it is totally unacceptable to be burning the planet to make a vegetable oil. It just doesn’t make any sense.”
C16 Biosciences use a particular strain of yeast for their lab-grown alternative to palm oil. This grows in tap water and feeds off a feedstock or carbon source to multiply.
In 2022, biotech company C16 Biosciences announced the launch of Palmless, a palm oil alternative created with yeast. In 2024, C16 Biosciences was named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2024 for launching Palmless, They plan on targeting beauty and skincare first, aiming to disrupt palm oil supply chains with their solution.
In 2022, biotech company C16 Biosciences announced the launch of Palmless
“Even some plant-based fats and oils can be a problem for climate change. The worst culprit is palm oil.
“Today, it’s the most widely consumed plant-based fat in the world. It’s found in half of all packaged goods—everything from peanut butter, cookies, instant ramen, coffee creamer, and frozen dinners to makeup, body wash, toothpaste, laundry detergent, and deodorant to candles, cat food, baby formula, and so much more. It’s even used as a biofuel for diesel engines.
“The issue with palm oil isn’t necessarily how we use it but how we get it. That’s because the oil palm tree, a variety of palm that’s native to Central and West Africa, doesn’t grow everywhere. The opposite, actually—the tree will only grow well within five to ten degrees of the equator. That has led to slash-and-burn deforestation of rainforests in equatorial regions around the world, which are then converted to oil palm plantations.
“This process has been bad for biodiversity, putting entire ecosystems at risk. It’s also a one-two punch for climate change: The combustion involved in burning forests emits tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and as the wetlands they sit on are destroyed, the carbon they’ve been storing gets released too. In 2018, the devastation in Malaysia and Indonesia alone was bad enough to account for 1.4 percent of global emissions—more than the entire state of California and nearly as much as the aviation industry worldwide.
“Unfortunately, palm oil is hard to replace. It’s cheap, odorless, and abundant. While most plant oils are liquid at room temperature, palm oil is semi-solid, creamy, and easily spreadable. Since it acts as a natural preservative, it has an extremely long shelf-life. (It actually raises the melting point of ice cream.) It’s also the only plant oil with a near-equal balance of saturated and unsaturated fats, which is why it’s so versatile. If animal fat is the superstar of some meals, then palm oil is the team player that can work to make almost all foods—and non-edible goods—even better.
“For these reasons, companies like C16 Biosciences are working hard on alternatives to palm oil. Since 2017, C16 (which I’m invested in) has been developing a product from a wild yeast microbe using a fermentation process that doesn’t produce any emissions. While it differs from conventional palm oil chemically, C16’s oil contains the same fatty acids, which means it can be used in the same applications. And it’s as “natural” as palm oil—it’s just grown on fungi instead of trees. Like Savor’s, C16’s process is entirely agriculture-free; its “farm” is a lab in midtown Manhattan.” via Gatesnotes.
A far healthier edible oil alternative created from microalgae.
Who is behind it?
Scientists from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and the University of Malaya in Malaysia.
Goal/Objective:
“Uncovering microalgae as a potential human food source is an opportunity to lessen the impact of palm oil in the food supply chain and the impact this has on our planet.”
~ Dr William Chen, head of the research team and Director of NTU’s Food Science and Technology Program.
How is it made?
Edible oils are extracted from a common strain of microalgae that has similar properties to palm oil, however contains fewer saturated fatty acids. This means that the algae alternative will be healthier than traditionally harvested palm oil. Saturated fats from palm oil raise levels of LDL cholesterol in our blood, thereby increasing the risk of heart disease.
When will it be used in supermarket goods?
This microalgae alternative to palm oil can be cultivated at scale, removing the need for further deforestation to plant yet more oil palm crops. They are a couple of years away from market.
“We rely on one of nature’s key processes, fermentation, to convert that organic matter into nutrient-rich solutions, which could be used to cultivate algae, which not only reduces our reliance on palm oil, but keeps carbon out of the atmosphere.”
~ Dr William Chen, head of the research team and Director of NTU’s Food Science and Technology Program.
Find out more:
Jun-Hui Chen et al, Screening and effect evaluation of chemical inducers for enhancing astaxanthin and lipid production in mixotrophic Chromochloris zofingiensis, Journal of Applied Phycology (2021). DOI: 10.1007/s10811-021-02618-6
A joint project between biotech company Genomatica and global FMCG brand Unilever to create a fatty alcohol alternative to palm oil made from fermented sugar. This would be used in skincare and beauty products.
Who is behind it?
This project is controversial for environmental activists and animal advocates to support. It is a collaboration funded by Unilever for $120 million. Unilever are a global corporate with a bad historical reputation as polluters and deforesters. They are linked to a dark history of colonial atrocities, ecocide and slavery in Africa. Still, despite Unilever’s involvement – this project deserves a mention due to its innovation. In October 2022, Kao announced that they will also be a founding partner in this biotech venture.
Goal/Objective:
The venture aims to commercialise and scale plant-based alternatives to feedstocks like palm oil and fossil fuels. Replacing environmentally harmful ingredients like palm oil with alternatives for use in cleaning, cosmetics and personal care products.
Beyond creating new transparent and responsibly sourced-supply chains and alternatively-sourced materials, our Geno technology also represents the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 100 million tons in upcoming years.”
As of 2023, L’Oréal went into partnership with Genomatica to produce lab-developed alternatives to palm oil. L’Oréal launched a shampoo with biotech surfactants. According to one news article, these new formulas are not only more sustainable but also gentler on skin and scalp, adding value for consumers. Although it is important to keep in mind that L’Oréal tests its products on animals.
2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you or to help pay for ongoing running costs.
Palm Oil is a vegetable oil found in many products It is responsible for destroying many millions acres of rain forests chasing species after species to extinction levels especially awesome Orangutan Demand full Palm Oil labeling and stop buying their products before too late pic.twitter.com/3gDSF25YnL
Locations: Amazon, Orinoco, and La Plata river systems across Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Paraguay. Populations persist in protected wetlands, slow-moving rivers, and oxbow lakes within the Amazon basin and scattered tributaries throughout northern and central South America.
The agile and graceful tumbling Olympians of the Amazonian rivers, Giant #Otters are able to swim 100 metres in less than 30 seconds. They are also known as the Lobo de Rio (the River wolf), Los Lobos del Rio (Wolves of the River) and Ariranha. They are most active in the mornings and evenings and take a siesta during the hottest parts of the day. Known for their striking size and the chorus of whistles and barks echoing through flooded forests, giant otters are social, vocal, and deeply bonded to their family groups. But the rivers they call home are under siege. The most significant threats to giant otters are anthropogenic pressures of deforestation for palm oil, soy and meat, pollution from mining and climate change. They are also illegally hunted and traded for their pelts or killed in retribution by fishermen. Help them and be #vegan, use your wallet as a weapon and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Threats are predominantly related to the river otter being pushed out of their ecosystems by anthropogenic pressures.
The destruction of the river otters’ riparian habitat, overfishing, contamination of aquatic ecosystems (especially for gold mining, fossil fuel exploration, and the use of pesticides and fertilizers for monocultures), domestic animal diseases, and mismanaged tourism It seems likely that mining activities and the widespread conversion of forest into agricultural and pasture lands will continue unabated in the near future as part of the economic development of the Amazonian countries.
Giant otters are threatened by a range of human created hazards including: the illegal pet trade, competition with fishermen, gold and fossil fuel mining and ecosystem conversion to monocultures such as palm oil and soy.
Appearance and Behaviour
Giant otters are the largest members of the mustelid family, reaching up to 1.8 metres in length and weighing between 22 and 34 kilograms. Their sleek, chocolate-brown fur glistens when wet, and each otter sports a unique white throat patch, as individual as a fingerprint. With webbed feet and a powerful, flattened tail, the giant otter is built for speed and grace beneath the surface. They move through water with fluid, serpentine motions, surfacing to snort and chatter with their group.
Giant otters are intensely social, living in family groups of up to 10, communicating with a rich vocabulary of whistles, screams, and barks. A family has a home range of 12 sq. km. They communicate through a noisy series of hums, coos, barks and whistles. They are cooperative and peaceful together and often groom, rest and hunt together and cooperatively construct burrows and establish territories using scent markings from their anal glands to delineate territories.
Newborn pups squeak to elicit attention, while older young whine as they participate in group activities. When intruders invade their territory, the parents and other adults in communities will defend the offspring against danger. Their playful nature is evident as they slide down muddy banks or toss fish to one another, but every action is purposeful—defending territory, nurturing young, or foraging together as a tight-knit team.
Threats
Palm oil and agricultural deforestation
The Red List classifies the giant otter as Endangered, with palm oil expansion and agricultural deforestation posing severe threats. Forests are stripped bare along riverbanks for plantations and grazing, leaving otters exposed and vulnerable. As vegetation disappears, riverbanks erode, dens collapse, and the intricate web of life that sustains the giant otter unravels. The destruction is relentless, turning vibrant wetlands into silent, empty channels.
Gold mining and water pollution
Gold mining scars the Amazon, releasing mercury and other toxins into waterways. These poisons accumulate in fish—the giant otter’s primary food source—and in the otters themselves, causing illness and reproductive failure. Mining dredges churn up riverbeds, clouding the water and destroying the submerged vegetation that shelters otter families. Pollution from agriculture and mining is now one of the leading causes of population decline, with entire river systems rendered uninhabitable for years at a time.
Overfishing and prey depletion
Overfishing by humans strips rivers of the catfish, characins, and perch that giant otters depend on. As fish stocks dwindle, otter families are forced to expand their territories or go hungry. Competition with commercial fisheries intensifies during the dry season when water levels drop and prey becomes scarce. The loss of food drives otters into conflict with humans and increases the risk of starvation, especially for pups.
Hunting and direct persecution
Historically, giant otters were hunted for their luxurious pelts, leading to catastrophic population crashes. Although hunting is now illegal in most range countries, illegal killing persists, driven by fear, competition, or ignorance. Otters are sometimes shot by fishers who see them as rivals, or trapped in snares set for other animals. Each loss tears at the fabric of otter society, as these animals rely on strong family bonds for survival.
Habitat fragmentation and climate change
The patchwork of remaining habitat isolates otter populations, reducing genetic diversity and making recovery difficult. Climate change brings unpredictable floods and droughts, altering the rhythm of the rivers and the abundance of fish. As the Amazon warms and dries, the future of the giant otter hangs in the balance, tied to the fate of the forests and waters they call home.
Diet
Giant otters are expert fish hunters, preying primarily on catfish, perch, and characins. Their hunting is a spectacle—sleek bodies slicing through water, eyes alert for the flicker of scales. Otters hunt cooperatively, corralling schools of fish and snatching them with lightning speed. During periods of low fish abundance, they may supplement their diet with crustaceans, small reptiles, or amphibians. Seasonal floods and droughts shape their foraging patterns, with families moving between oxbow lakes and river channels to follow the shifting bounty of the Amazon. Every meal is a communal event, with otters sharing catches and calling family members to feast.
Reproduction and Mating
Giant otter breeding peaks in late spring and early summer, though some pairs mate year-round. Females are receptive for three to ten days of a 21-day oestrous cycle, with courtship and mating taking place in the water. After a gestation of 65 to 70 days, the female gives birth to two to five altricial pups in a den dug into the riverbank. Pups are born blind and helpless, relying entirely on the care of both parents and older siblings. The family’s social bonds are strongest during this period, with constant grooming, feeding, and play. Pups emerge from the den at around four weeks, learning to swim and hunt under the watchful eyes of the group. In the wild, giant otters can live up to 15 years, although most do not reach this age due to the many dangers they face.
Geographic Range
These energetic mustelids are endemic to South America, with populations distributed east of the Andes in the Orinoco, Amazonas, and Parana basins, and the hydrographic networks of the Guianas.
Giant otters inhabit the slow-moving rivers, oxbow lakes, and wetlands of the Amazon, Orinoco, and La Plata basins. Their range spans Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Paraguay. Once widespread, giant otters have vanished from Uruguay and Argentina, and their populations are now fragmented, surviving mainly in protected reserves and remote tributaries. In Bolivia, only about 350 individuals remain, mostly within national parks. The sounds of the giant otter—chirps, whistles, and splashes—are now rare in many rivers where they once flourished.
FAQs
What is the current population size of the giant otter Pteronura brasiliensis?
Wild populations of the giant otter are estimated at between 4,400 and 7,600 individuals, with numbers declining due to ongoing habitat loss, pollution, and hunting. In some regions, such as Bolivia, only a few hundred remain, mostly in protected areas. The largest populations are found in the Amazon and Orinoco basins, but even here, otters are increasingly isolated by deforestation and river degradation (Groenendijk et al. 2015).
How long do giant otters live in the wild?
In the wild, giant otters can live up to 15 years, although the average lifespan is closer to 4.5 to 5.5 years due to predation, disease, and human threats. In captivity, some individuals have reached 17 to 20 years, but such longevity is rare in the wild (Groenendijk et al. 2014).
What are the main threats for the giant otter?
The greatest challenges facing the giant otter are palm oil-driven deforestation, gold mining, water pollution, overfishing, and habitat fragmentation. These threats destroy riverbank vegetation, poison waterways, and deplete fish stocks, undermining the otters’ ability to survive and reproduce. Effective protection requires indigenous-led conservation, agroecology, and the safeguarding of river ecosystems from further industrial encroachment (Mongabay, 2025).
Do giant otters make good pets?
Giant otters do not make good pets. Captivity causes extreme stress, loneliness, and early death for these highly social, intelligent animals. The illegal pet trade tears families apart and fuels extinction, as pups are stolen from their dens and forced into unnatural, impoverished conditions. Protecting giant otters means rejecting the illegal pet trade and supporting their right to live wild and free in their forest and river homes.
Take Action!
Fight for the survival of the giant otter every time you shop—#BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife. Support indigenous-led conservation and agroecology. Reject products linked to deforestation, gold mining, and the illegal wildlife trade. Adopt a #vegan lifestyle and #BoycottMeat to protect wild and farmed animals alike. Every choice matters—stand with the giant otter and defend the rivers of the Amazon.
Groenendijk, J., Marmontel, M., Van Damme, P., Schenck, C., Schenck, C. & Wallace, R. 2021. Pteronura brasiliensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T18711A164580466. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T18711A164580466.en. Accessed on 27 August 2022.
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil#Boycott4Wildlife.
2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
More and more palm oil free 🦧 products in Australia 🇦🇺. Customer awareness is increasing month by month. Of course Bart Van Assen will keep pushing "sustainable" palm oil with Orangutan Land Trust. Boycott palm oil to protect wildlife! There is not planet B #boycott4wildlifepic.twitter.com/rm7chub5Rb
If possible to get Ovomaltine, please promote it among your friends. It openly advertises with 0 palm oil. No RSPO no bullshit. For me it even tasts better than nuttela. It substantiates that chocolate spread can be made delicious without filthy palm oil. pic.twitter.com/cyV5Tm3tLd
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
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Near Threatened: Argentina; Belize; Bolivia, Brazil; Colombia; Costa Rica; Ecuador; French Guiana; Guatemala; Guyana; Honduras; Mexico; Nicaragua; Panama; Paraguay; Peru; Suriname; United States; Venezuela.
Extinct: El Salvador; Uruguay, United States of America
Jaguars, currently deemed Near Threatened, face a substantial habitat reduction of up to 25% in just over two decades. This decline stems from rampant deforestation for palm oil, soy, and meat, as well as illegal poaching for trophies and body parts. These magnificent creatures also suffer from conflicts arising due to livestock depredation and competition with human hunters for food. Aggravating the issue, Latin America’s widespread agricultural industries, like soy, palm oil, and cattle ranching, mainly serve foreign markets rather than local needs. Let’s step up and use our wallets as a weapons! Be #vegan#Boycottpalmoil#Boycott4Wildlife.
The Jaguar has a stocky, heavy body with short massive limbs associated with reduced cursorial behaviour and dense forest habitat, and robust canines and large head allowing a more powerful bite than other large cats (Seymour 1989, Sunquist and Sunquist 2002).
Mean body weight varies by up to 100% across their range, those living further from the equator tend to be larger (Iriarte et al. 1990). This extreme variation in size may reflect variation in the availability of large prey in different habitats: the largest Jaguars occur in open flood plains areas, the Llanos in Venezuela and the Pantanal in Brazil, and take the largest prey, and the smallest Jaguars inhabit the dense forest areas of Central America and Amazonia and take smaller prey (Hoogesteijn and Mondolfi 1996, Oliveira 2002).
Habitat
Jaguar habitat typically consists of dense forest cover (mainly primary and secondary forest), the presence of water bodies and a sufficient prey base (Swank and Teer 1989, Sanderson et al. 2002).
However, they are found in range of habitats from rainforest to seasonally flooded swamp areas, pampas grassland, thorn scrub woodland, and dry deciduous forest (Nowell and Jackson 1996, Sunquist and Sunquist 2002).
The species is more strongly associated with water in comparison to any of the other Panthera cats. Even within drier areas they are only found around the main water courses. This characteristic quickly brings them into conflict with expansion of high intensity agriculture, having the same requirements of nearby water sources for irrigation.
Threats
Jaguar populations are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation for palm oil, soy and meat along with illegal murder for trophies/illegal trade in body parts. They are also the victims of pro-active or retaliatory killings associated with livestock depredation and competition for wild meat with human hunters.
Fragmentation and displacement frequently leads to lowering of densities of Jaguars and prey in leftover forest patches due to easier access and Jaguars feeding on the replaced livestock. Jaguar-livestock conflict is a serious threat to Jaguar survival and reported throughout their range (Hoogesteijn and Hoogesteijn 2011, Quigley et al. 2015, de la Torre et al. 2016).
Latin America is characterised by relatively low population densities with high population growth. This means that the increased agricultural expansion will likely not be used to feed the expanding population of Latin America. Increased pressure on wildlife as a food source will increase. Even in low population countries like Belize, 75% of the yearly wildlife offtake can be attributed to humans, while Jaguars only account for 25% (Foster et al. 2016). Increases in human population within these thinly populated countries means, increased fragmentation for agriculture, industry and urbanisation necessary for sustaining the increased number of people, making the wildlife easier accessible for hunting. The greater need for food and potential increase in wealth for a proportion of the population means increased commercialisation and increased prizes for wildlife game species, which are all Jaguar prey species.
Jaguars have lost about 49% of their historic geographic range
Habitat loss is reducing and isolating Jaguar populations range wide. The white-lipped peccary are an important Jaguar prey. They have been extirpated from 21% of the jaguar’s historical range during the past century and changed from NT to VU under the latest IUCN assessment (Altrichter et al. 2012, Keuroghlian et al. 2013).
Jaguars have already become extinct in El Salvador, Uruguay, and the United States.
Quigley, H., Foster, R., Petracca, L., Payan, E., Salom, R. & Harmsen, B. 2017. Panthera onca (errata version published in 2018). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T15953A123791436. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T15953A50658693.en. Accessed on 18 March 2022.
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil#Boycott4Wildlife.
2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
More and more palm oil free 🦧 products in Australia 🇦🇺. Customer awareness is increasing month by month. Of course Bart Van Assen will keep pushing "sustainable" palm oil with Orangutan Land Trust. Boycott palm oil to protect wildlife! There is not planet B #boycott4wildlifepic.twitter.com/rm7chub5Rb
If possible to get Ovomaltine, please promote it among your friends. It openly advertises with 0 palm oil. No RSPO no bullshit. For me it even tasts better than nuttela. It substantiates that chocolate spread can be made delicious without filthy palm oil. pic.twitter.com/cyV5Tm3tLd
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
A new study has found that fragmentation of forests in Malaysian Borneo due to palm oil and mining has pressured two species of monkey (the Proboscis Monkey and Silvered Leaf Monkey/Silvery Lutung) to mate causing an unusual hybrid offspring. This has scientists worried as it indicates the animals are under stress Read more
Six years ago, tour guide Brenden Miles was traveling down the Kinabatangan River in the Malaysian part of Borneo, when he spotted an odd-looking primate he had never seen before. He snapped a few pictures of the strange monkey and, on reaching home, checked his images.
“At first, I thought it could be a morph of the silvered leaf monkey,” meaning a member of the species with rare color variation, Miles says. But then he noticed other little details. “Its nose was long like that of a proboscis monkey, and its tail was thicker than that of a silvered leaf [monkey],” he says. He posted a picture of the animal on Facebook and forgot all about it.
Now, an analysis of that photo and others suggests that the “mystery monkey” is a hybrid of two distantly related primate species that share the same fragmented habitat.
The putative offspring was produced when a male proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus) mated with a female silvered leaf monkey (Trachypithecus cristatus), researchers suggest April 26 in the International Journal of Primatology. And that conclusion has the scientists worried about the creature’s parent species.
Hybridisation between closely related organisms has been observed in captivity and occasionally in the wild (SN: 7/23/21). “But hybridization across genera, that’s very rare,” says conservation practitioner Ramesh Boonratana, the regional vice-chair for Southeast Asia for the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s primate specialist group.
Severe habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation caused by expanding palm oil plantations along the Kinabatangan River could explain how the possible hybrid came to be, says primatologist Nadine Ruppert.
The below video depicts what appears to be a silvery langur rescued from the absolute devastation of a rainforest razed for palm oil in Borneo.
This video was posted a few days ago. A sentient being whose dignity has been robbed was placed in the back of a truck, allegedly at a mining site in East Kalimantan. Its home in the forest disappears beyond the horizon.
“Different species — even from the same genus — when they share a habitat, they may interact with each other, but they may usually not mate. This kind of cross-genera hybridization happens only when there is some ecological pressure,” says Ruppert, of the Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang Island.
The state of Sabah, where Kinabatangan River is located, lost about 40 percent of its forest cover from 1973 to 2010, with logging and palm oil plantations being the main drivers of deforestation, a study in 2014 found.
Silvery Lutungs AKA Silvered Leaf Monkeys
“In certain areas, both [monkey] species are confined to small forest fragments along the river,” Ruppert says. This leads to competition for food, mates and other resources. “The animals cannot disperse and, in this case, the male of the larger species — the proboscis monkey — can easily displace the male silvered leaf monkey.”
Since 2016, there have been some more documented sightings of the mystery monkey, though these have been sporadic.
The infrequent sightings and the COVID-19 pandemic has, for now, prevented researchers from gathering fecal samples for genetic analysis to reveal the monkey’s identity. Instead, Ruppert and colleagues compared images of the possible hybrid with those of the parent species, both visually as well as by using limb ratios. “If the individual was from one of the two parent species, all its measurements would be similar to that of one species,” Ruppert says. “But that is not the case with this animal.”
A photograph of a male proboscis monkey mating with a female silvered leaf monkey, along with anecdotes from boat operators and tour guides about a single male proboscis monkey hanging around a troop of female silvered leaf monkeys, has added further weight to the researchers’ conclusion.
The mystery monkey is generating a lot of excitement in the area, but Ruppert is concerned for the welfare of both proposed parent species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies proboscis monkeys as endangered and silvered leaf monkeys as vulnerable. “The hybrid is gorgeous, but we don’t want to see more of them,” Ruppert says. “Both species should have a large enough habitat, dispersal opportunities and enough food to conduct their natural behaviors in the long term.”
Increasing habitat loss or fragmentation in Borneo and elsewhere as a result of changing land uses or climate change could lead to more instances of mating — or at least, attempts at mating — between species or even genera, Boonratana says.
The mystery monkey was last photographed in September of 2020 with swollen breasts and holding a baby, suggesting that the animal is a fertile female. That’s another surprising development, the researchers say, because most hybrids tend to be sterile.
#Research reveals the most comprehensive and detailed evidence to date that #forests are more important to the #climate (globally and locally) than we think due to the way in which they physically transform the atmosphere. The first-ever research to pinpoint the local, regional and global non-carbon dioxide benefits of specific forest zones worldwide finds that the entire world gains the most benefits from the band of tropical rainforests spanning Latin America, Central Africa and Southeast Asia. Help #rainforests, rainforest animals and indigenous peoples every time you shop, make sure you #BoycottPalmOil#BoycottGold#Boycott4Wildlife
It finds that, together, forests keep the planet at least half of a degree Celsius cooler when we account for the understudied biophysical effects—from chemical compounds to turbulence and the reflection of light. These effects in the tropics alone deliver planetary cooling of one-third of a degree Celsius; when combined with the carbon dioxide, the cooling effect is over 1 degree Celsius.
“All forests are precious. Increasingly, we are discovering they also keep the air near and far cool and moist,” said Deborah Lawrence, a professor at the University of Virginia and the lead author of the study, The Unseen Effects of Deforestation: Biophysical Effects on Climate. “The heart of the tropics is at the heart of the planet and these forests are critical for our survival.”
According to the study, “Locally at all latitudes, forest biophysical impacts far outweigh carbon effects, promoting local climate stability by reducing extreme temperatures in all seasons and times of day.”
“The importance of forests for both global climate change mitigation and local adaptation by human and non-human species is not adequately captured by current carbon-centric metrics, particularly in the context of future climate warming.”
Scientists already have a well-established understanding of how tropical deforestation contributes to global climate change through emitting carbon and reducing the ability of the world’s forests to take more carbon pollution out of the atmosphere. This is the latest and most comprehensive study in a body of emerging evidence showing how tropical deforestation has climate impacts beyond carbon: Deforestation immediately increases heat and extreme heat locally and decreases regional and local rainfall. Forest loss also disrupts the climate in faraway places. Because of this, forests are even more valuable to climate efforts than previously accounted for in international climate plans and projections.
The study reviewed the available literature on this emerging science to determine that forests up to 50 degrees north latitude deliver benefits at a global scale that cumulatively keep the entire planet cooler by 1 degree Celsius. This means that any forest protection or restoration efforts taking place between 40 degrees south latitude and—50 degrees north latitude help at the local level as well as the global level. For example, destroying rainforests in the 10 degree band just south of the equator could warm the planet by half of a degree. And restoring forests in the 10 degree band just north of the equator would deliver 25% more global cooling than expected based on CO2 sequestration alone. But the study shows that even those forests outside of this band deliver a host of benefits warranting their protection.
“A recent major UN climate report showed we must urgently act now to avoid the worst case scenarios for our planet,” Lawrence said.
“If we lose these forests, we will get there 10 years faster. If we protect these forests, they will shield us from extreme climate disasters, droughts and impacts on our food and agriculture. We are benefiting now from the tropics keeping us cooler; they are keeping us from feeling these extremes already.”
The study notes that deforestation, for example, is responsible for one-third of the increase in intensity of hotter days; forest loss is also behind the increase in hot, dry summers. Our loss in tree cover has also led to local increases in extreme temperatures comparable in magnitude to changes caused by 0.5 degrees Celsius of global warming.
“Put another way, deforestation pushes people today into an experience we are trying to avoid by hitting 2 degrees rather than 1.5 degrees of warming,” Lawrence said. “People living with deforestation are already suffering the effects of that warmer, more extreme world. Forest restoration would bring them back to a more livable climate.”
Forest cooling is due to a range of biophysical effects. The study reveals that all forests emit chemicals called Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOCs). On the one hand, BVOCs create aerosols that reflect incoming energy and form clouds; both are cooling effects. On the other hand, they lead to a build-up of ozone and methane, both greenhouse gases. This is a warming effect. On balance, the cooling outweighs the warming. These complex chemical compounds emitted by forests represent a new frontier in our understanding of how forests keep the planet cool near and far.
Other aspects of forests that enable them to minimize drought associated with extreme heat include their deep roots, high water use efficiency and high surface “roughness.” These qualities allow trees to dissipate heat and move moisture higher into the atmosphere, which directly cools the local area and influences cloud formation and rainfall—which has ramifications far away.
“Research is making it increasingly clear that forests are even more complex than previously understood. When we cut them down, we see devastating impacts on our climate, food supplies and everyday life. The benefits of keeping forests intact are clear; it’s imperative that we prioritize their protection,” said Wayne Walker, carbon program director at the Woodwell Climate Research Center and one of the study co-authors.
The recently released Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report warned about the impacts, adaptation and vulnerability humans face with rising temperatures. This new study suggests that forest protection, important to both mitigation and adaptation, protects us from some of the worst climate disasters. And it shows that forests provide local cooling during the hottest times of the year everywhere on the planet, improving the resilience of cities, croplands and conservation areas. In the tropics, where forest carbon stocks and sequestration rates are highest, the biophysical effects of forests amplify the carbon benefits.
“Protecting primary forests throughout the world should be one of our greatest priorities. These forests are critical for adapting to a warmer world,” said Michael Coe, tropics program director at the Woodwell Climate Research Center and a study co-author. “Without the forest cover we have now, the planet would be hotter and the weather more extreme. Forests provide us defense against the worst-case global warming scenarios.”
Researchers recently found that the destruction of forests and other ecosystems in Brazil’s Amazon and Cerrado regions endangers local soy agriculture, calculating that extreme heat costs $3.55 billion annually on top of $1 billion annually for drier conditions.
Another study showed that rising temperatures and humidity tied to tree loss has already reduced the number of hours in the day people can safely work outside—and will only get worse if more forests are destroyed.
A third study showed that in the case of Brazil, by 2100, roughly 12 million people could be exposed to extreme risk of heat stress, with vulnerable populations, including Indigenous Peoples, set to be the most severely impacted.
“Despite the mounting evidence that forests deliver myriad climate benefits, trees are still viewed just as sticks of carbon by many policymakers in the climate change arena,” said Louis Verchot, a principal scientist at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and one of the study co-authors. “It’s time for policymakers at the local and global levels to realize that forests have even greater value to people and economies, now and in the future, due to their non-carbon benefits. Forests are key to mitigation, but also adaptation.”
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil#Boycott4Wildlife.
2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
More and more palm oil free 🦧 products in Australia 🇦🇺. Customer awareness is increasing month by month. Of course Bart Van Assen will keep pushing "sustainable" palm oil with Orangutan Land Trust. Boycott palm oil to protect wildlife! There is not planet B #boycott4wildlifepic.twitter.com/rm7chub5Rb
If possible to get Ovomaltine, please promote it among your friends. It openly advertises with 0 palm oil. No RSPO no bullshit. For me it even tasts better than nuttela. It substantiates that chocolate spread can be made delicious without filthy palm oil. pic.twitter.com/cyV5Tm3tLd
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Dr Sophie Chao is an environmental anthropologist and environmental humanities scholar interested in the intersections of capitalism, ecology, Indigeneity, health, and justice in the Pacific.
Her theoretical thinking is inspired by interdisciplinary currents including Science and Technology Studies, political ecology, and Indigenous, Postcolonial, and Critical Race Studies.
Dr Chao is currently a Discovery Early Career Research Award (DECRA) Fellow and Lecturer in Anthropology at the University of Sydney. Prior to her academic career, she worked for the international Indigenous rights organisation Forest Peoples Programme in the United Kingdom and Indonesia.
She has also undertaken consultancies for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation and the United Nations Working Group on the Issue of Human Rights and Transnational Corporations. She is currently Secretary on the Executive Committee of the Australian Anthropological Society (AAS) and Co-Convenor of the Australian Food, Society, and Culture Network (AFSCN).
Dr Chao is keen to forge meaningful collaborations and conversations with Indigenous and decolonial academics, artists, and activists in Australia and beyond, and to move towards a better understanding of morethanhuman worlds.
Palm Oil Detectives is honoured to interview to Dr Sophie Chao about her research into the impacts of palm oil on the daily lives of Marind people and other sentient beings in West Papua.
“#Indigenous #Marind of #WestPapua consider plants and animals NOT as passive objects of exploitation, but as other-than-human relatives. Subjects of #interspecies#justice in their own right” ~ Dr Sophie Chao #Boycott4Wildlife
“I want to see the #palmoil industry/governments try to understand the desires of #Papuan people THEMSELVES instead of pre-conceived notions of what counts as progress” ~ Dr Sophie Chao #PapuanLivesMatter#Together4Forests
Anthropologist and author of ‘In the Shadow of the Palms’ Dr Sophie Chao: In Her Own Words
Little previous research had been done into how indigenous peoples themselves experience, interpret, and contest oil palm developments.
In particular, there is not much research done into how indigenous peoples relate to vulnerable, non-human beings such as native plants, animals, and elements, with whom many indigenous peoples entertain intimate and ancestral relations of kinship and care.
“Many people know that oil palm is devastating on tropical ecosystems and biodiversity. Much less is known about the impacts of this proliferating cash crop on the peoples who are being displaced, dispossessed, and disempowered in its wake.”
Pictured: A group of Marind women preparing sago starch that has been freshly rasped from the sago grove. Photo: Dr Sophie Chao
I wrote this book because I wanted the world to understand how deforestation and industrial oil palm expansion are undermining Indigenous ways of being in West Papua.
My book seeks to bring to life the worlds of people who live in the teeth of settler-colonial capitalism
Dr Sophie Chao
Living with Marind transformed how I think about what it means to be “human”
And also what it means to coexist in mutually beneficial ways with other-than-human beings.
Pictured: A Marind man rests near the banks of the Bian River after a fishing trip. Photo: Dr Sophie ChaoPictured: Dr Sophie Chao researched the life of the Marind-Anim tribe in Merauke for three years. Her doctoral dissertation on the impact of oil palm plantations on the lives of the tribe won the 2019 best thesis award in Australia in the field of Asian Studies. Photo: ABC News Indonesia
The Marind think of plants and animals as not simply passive objects of human exploitation
Instead, these other-than-human beings are considered to be agents, persons, relatives, and subjects of justice in their own right.
This was a completely different way of thinking to the anthropocentric and individualistic logic of the Westernised parts of the world where I had lived, studied, and worked.
Indigenous Marind enriched my world by inviting me to think beyond nature-culture divides
Humans share the planet with a whole array of different creatures. These creatures matter in the making of more sustainable, collective futures.
“More-than-human becomings” is in the subtitle of the book because it is an invitation to think beyond the human and also beyond categories. Instead, the reader is invited to think about non-human beings and transforming worlds.
Marind are “More-than-human” because they consider themselves as beings within a lively and diverse ecology of life
This includes native plants and animals like cassowaries, birds of paradise, and sago palms, but also introduced – and sometimes dangerous – organisms like industrial oil palm.
“Becomings” was a way of getting readers to think about life beyond the static notion of “being.” To “become” is a constant transformation, unfolding differently across bodies, places, and time. Becoming, in some ways, never really ends.
The ‘good life’, according to Marind, stems from the willingness of humans to consider non-human beings as subjects of dignity and justice
This good life is best achieved by immersing oneself in the more-than-human environment. Non-human beings are considered to be participants in the making of shared worlds, and also as subjects of harm and violence.
The “good life” is deeply intergenerational for Marind. They often talked about nurturing the forest, as a way of becoming good ancestors and how they can transmit traditional ecological knowledge to future Marind generations
Time for Marind is not linear, it is spiralic
What you do now matters in terms of how you will be remembered. What you do now matters in terms of what you will be able to pass on to human and other-than-human beings to come.
There is a wisdom and responsibility that comes with this sense of time that I think is critical to heed in this age of planetary destruction.
A Marind family journeying to a sacred ceremonial site to pay respects to their ancestral spirits. Photo: Dr Sophie Chao
Many of my Marind companions talk about conservation and capitalism as being “two sides of the same coin”
This is because they now find themselves excluded from both industrial oil palm plantations and from the conservation areas that are intended to off-set deforestation.
Images: Palm oil plantations and environmental destruction, Getty Images.
Both of these activities entrench a nature-culture divide that is alien to many Marind. Both undervalue the fact that Marind have always coexisted harmoniously with their environments.
These new “conservation zones” are the very same places where Marind fish, forage, and hunt. It is where they go to visit ancestral graveyards and sacred sites. It is where they walk with their families and friends to encounter their kindred sago palms, wild boards, possums, and gaharu trees.
Pictured: Forest foods, like sago starch, are considered nourishing by Marind because they derive from revered plants and animals. Sophie Chao, Author provided. Via The Conversation
Pictured: A tool for processing Sago. Papua New Guinea. Getty Images
For Marind, conservation and capitalism violate their territorial sovereignty and access to food and resources. Both types of activity are imposed by outside actors through top-down decision-making process that they are not party to.
Human rights and environmental abuses in West Papua are made invisible in Australia, their closest neighbour, mainly for geopolitical reasons
Racism may have something to do with it – but I think geopolitical interests are a big part of the story
West Papua is incredibly rich in natural resources – from gold, copper, and coal, to timber and oil palm. Economic and political interests tend to trump human and environmental rights, in West Papua and elsewhere.
There are pockets of activism and advocacy in Australia, including by West Papuan diaspora and political exiles – but the movement hasn’t caught the public’s attention in the way other political causes have.
Accessing West Papua is difficult for non-Indonesian individuals and organisations. There is heightened militarisation of the region. This contributes to an ongoing invisibilisation of what is happening at the ground level, among Papuan people and across Papuan ecosystems.
The demilitarisation of West Papua is absolutely vital if Papuans are to feel that they have a free voice in matters affecting them and their lands – including oil palm developments
Image: Andrew Gal for Getty Images
Indigenous ways of being and thinking (although radically different from neoliberal capitalist and colonialist logics), should be central to decision-making
I would like to see the palm oil industry, together with the Indonesian government, try to understand the views, aspirations, desires, beliefs, and hopes of Papuan peoples themselves instead of entering with pre-conceived notions of what counts as progress, the good life, and wellbeing.
Government and corporate actors should engaging with Indigenous Papuans through a transparent, iterative, and trust-based process of consent-seeking, before any oil palm projects are designed or implemented.
This consent should be sought freely, well ahead of time, and only when communities have been given access to comprehensive and impartial information on the benefits and risks of oil palm developments.
Pictured: Marind man and child in Merauke by Nanang Sujana
Most importantly, government and corporate actors need to accept that some communities may, following lengthy consultations, still decide to withhold their consent to oil palm projects. This right to say NO to oil palm must imperatively be respected.
Violence as a multispecies act: Marind describe oil palm as a colonising, killing and occupying plant beings
Oil palm, they often told me, does not want to share time and space with native plants, people, and animals.
It spreads uniformly across vast swaths of land, yet grows alone in monocrop form
This plant’s introduction has been accompanied by intensified military and corporate surveillance, community harassment and intimidation and exploitative labour conditions.
To think about violence in multispecies terms, brings us to consider situations where humans are not the only culprits, and non-humans not the only victims.
Oil palm’s acts of violence invite us to think about non-human beings as drivers and perpetrators of harm – even as they themselves are also subject to human and technological manipulations and exploitation.
Pictured: Fire in a rainforest – Getty Images
Paraquat, a deadly herbicide, trickled down from rusty canisters strapped to the women’s backs, the blue-green venom seeping into their exposed skin.
Banned in many countries because of its toxic effects, no antidote exists for this lethal chemical. I thought of babies never to come. The faces of my friends, huddled in the bed of the truck, were caked in dust and watched the landscape unfurl, weeping.
Infants retched from the stench of mill effluents as we jolted down dirt roads without stopping so as to avoid attracting the attention of military men employed by the companies to guard their plantations. Bunches of oil palm fruit lay strewn along roadsides, piles of moldering blood-red and coal-black, shot through with razor-sharp thorns.
Bulldozers and chainsaws ripped through isolated patches of the remaining vegetation. Silhouetted against the bleary sun, pesticide-spraying helicopters zigzagged back and forth above us, spreading a milky veil of hazy toxins.
~ Dr Sophie Chao, excerpt from the prologue of ‘In the Shadow of the Palms.’
Image 1: Untouched rainforest (Getty Images). Image 2: Marind community on land destroyed for the million hectare Meruake Integrated Food and Energy Estate, known as MIFEE (Nanang Sujana)
On August 11th 2010, a delegation of government representatives from Jakarta, led by the then minister of agriculture Ir. H Suswono launched the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE). A $5 billion USD agribusiness scheme to promote the country’s self-sufficiency in basic foodstuffs and to make Indonesia a net food-exporting nation. Papuans from across the region were invited to the event including Marind community members from the upper Bian river. Paulus Mahuze, Marind clan leader recalls the arrival of MIFEE and how everything changed dramatically afterwards for his people.
~ Dr Sophie Chao, excerpt from her book ‘In the Shadow of the Palms.’
“It was a hot day. There was dust (abu) everywhere, raised by the government convoys and military trucks. The dust stung our eyes and made our children cry. The government brought oil palm (sawit) company bosses with them from pusat (‘the centre,’ or Jakarta). They gave us instant noodles, pens, bottles of water. They also gave us cigarettes – the expensive kind. They talked a lot about MIFEE. MIFEE this, MIFEE that…but we didn’t understand what MIFEE was. We did not know what palm oil was because oil palm does not live in our forests. Then, the government officials and the oil palm bosses left. They never returned to the village. They promised us money and jobs. They said MIFEE would provide us with food. I thought that they would plant yams, vegetables and fruit trees. Instead they planted oil palm. They planted oil palm everywhere they could. They turned the whole forest into oil palm. They cut down all the sago to plant oil palm. This is what happened. Since then, everything is abu-abu (‘grey’ or ‘uncertain’).
~ Paulus Mahuze, marind clan leader (as told to dr sophie chao in her book: In the shadow of the palms).
Abu-abu means both “grey” and “uncertain”. For Marind, the future, hope and multispecies relations were all abu-abu and under siege
Pictured: Oil palm plantations in Merauke have contributed to unprecedented levels of deforestation, and water/soil contamination. Photo credit: Dr Sophie Chao.
The concept of abu-abu is one that many of my Marind friends would use to describe the worlds that they inhabit
Abu-abu communicates the sense of ambiguity, opacity, and strangeness that life on the palm oil frontier entails. Greyness manifests in the polluted waters of local rivers, and in the smoke-filled skies following forest burning.
Greyness also manifests in the dull and irritated skin of malnourished infants, poisoned fish, and pesticide-wielding workers
To live in a world of murk and uncertainty is violent and unsettling – but it is also a way of rejecting the possibility of any kind of radical divide between oneself and that murk. That’s why I approach abu-abu not just as a condition of suffering, but also as a stance of refusal.
What would or might come next for Marind and their other-than-human kin was unknown – and often feared.
This sense of greyness, or uncertainty is also metaphorical. For Marind the world is grey in that the future, hope, social and multispecies relations are all under siege.
Pictured: Dead fish, creative commons image, Pxfuel.
At the same time, abu-abu was a form of resistance in the way it refused fixed classifications, categories, or boundaries between things, ideas, and actions
Whether “sustainable” palm oil can be achieved in practice demands a radical rethinking of the capitalist logic – the logic of endless growth
Careless profit-making, and externally imposed “development” and “progress” rhetorics. And that is a huge task. These kinds of rhetorics are deeply entrenched. Their origins are often unquestioned. Their impacts are often silenced.
Pictured: Common supermarket brands that are RSPO members are linked to deforestation and human rights abusesPictured: Pollution run-off in an RSPO member palm oil plantation in Sumatra. Craig Jones Wildlife PhotographyReport: Environmental Investigation Agency: Sustainable palm oil is a con
At the end of the day, I think the most important thing to ask ourselves about “sustainability” is – sustainability for whom?
Who gets to have a say over what happens to lands and forests? Who gets to be involved in decision-making processes surrounding oil palm projects? Is there scope to reconsider the scale at which these projects are being developed?
These are questions that have to be crafted and considered together with the Indigenous peoples most directly and indirectly affected by agribusiness expansion.
That, for me, is the beginning of any kind of conversation around sustainability – sustainability for people, plants, animals, and for all the other beings implicated in one way or another in the palm oil nexus.
The rationale for additional Food Estates in Papua and Indonesia is scrutinised in this 2022 report
“The rationale behind Food Estates, that they are an effective way to rapidly increase national food production, does not stand up to scrutiny.
“Over the years, previous attempts to launch Food Estates have failed, with little if any extra food produced. The various iterations of the Merauke Food Estate (MIFEE) are a good example of this.
“For these reasons, it is legitimate to call into question the real motivation behind the plans. With corruption still rampant in Indonesia, there is a significant risk that Food Estates will present new opportunities for profit by those in government and their associates.”
Quote from: Pandemic Power Grabs: Who benefits from Food Estates in West Papua, a report by AwasMIFEE and TAPOL (2022).
Pictured: Dr Sophie Chao researched the life of the Marind-Anim tribe in Merauke for three years. Her doctoral dissertation on the impact of oil palm plantations on the lives of the tribe won the 2019 best thesis award in Australia in the field of Asian Studies. Photo: ABC News Indonesia
Calling all artists, activists, teachers, and students who have art and artifacts speaking to the theme of multispecies justice.https://t.co/Oe79MvxFFg We are curating a show in Mexico in December, that will travel from Cholula to a rural village in Chiapas.
Mama Malind su Hilang (Our Land Has Gone) is a powerful documentary by celebrated and renowned filmmaker and photographer Nanang Sujana. His images and film tells the story of the Malind Anim tribe living in Zanegi village. They were dispossessed from their land which was given over to global palm oil corporations, in its place was Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE).
“The Forest is the father, land is the mother and rivers are blood
“That’s the spirituality of most Dayak people in Kalimantan. They understand the interdependent nature of everything in nature.”
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
What does the $60 billion USD palm oil industry have in common with Big Tobacco? A lot according to this report by the World Health Organisation. Palm oil industry lobbying tactics are used to influence research into the health impacts of palm oil and also to influence consumer buying habits using deceptive advertising and greenwashing. The dire health and environmental impacts of palm oil are hidden from consumers by clever greenwashing and outright lies by NGOs, Zoos, researchers and food companies associated with and funded by the palm oil industry. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) the lobbying, marketing and greenwashing tactics used by the palm oil industry are reminiscent of the tobacco and alcohol industries. Read on to discover more about this.
“Although its negative #health impacts are contested, a meta-analysis of increased #palmoil 🌴🪔 consumptIon in 23 countries found a strong relationship to higher mortality from #heartdisease.” 🫀💊 ~ @WHO Report #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🙊⛔️https://palmoildetectives.com/2022/08/08/palm-oil-industry-lobbying-and-greenwashing-is-like-big-tobacco-world-health-organisation-who-bulletin/ @palmoildetect
The sustainability certification effort has been linked to limited amounts of reduced deforestation, with a recent study finding little impact on forest loss and fire detection.40 Other studies have found that the Roundtable’s board members were still associated with companies involved in mass deforestation.41 Investigations by NGOs have found child labour and human rights violations at Roundtable members’ plantations.42
Despite some positive initiatives by the palm oil and processed food industries to cultivate, produce and source palm oil through sustainable, ethical practices, challenges remain.
The World Health Organisation’s Bulletin: Palm Oil Industry Lobbying and Greenwashing is Like Big Tobacco. Palm. oil’s impact on deforestation and animal extinction
The World Health Organisation’s Bulletin: Palm Oil Industry Lobbying and Greenwashing is Like Big Tobacco. Palm. oil’s impact on deforestation and animal extinction. RSPO board members are associated with companies involved in mass deforestation
The World Health Organisation’s Bulletin: Palm Oil Industry Lobbying and Greenwashing is Like Big Tobacco. Palm. oil’s impact on deforestation and animal extinction. RSPO board members are associated with companies involved in mass deforestation
The World Health Organisation’s Bulletin: Palm Oil Industry Lobbying and Greenwashing is Like Big Tobacco. Palm. oil’s impact on deforestation and animal extinction.
The palm oil and processed food industries have mutually benefited from increased sales and consumption of products through rapid internationalisation and trade. This trend is likely to continue as low- and middle-income countries increasingly move from eating fresh, minimally processed foods to ultra-processed products.21 Sales by manufacturers of ultra-processed foods containing palm oil have been expanding.22
Marketing of palm oil does not occur in the traditional sense. Responding to a backlash against accusations of poor environmental and labour practices, the industry has sought to portray its products as sustainable, while highlighting the contribution to poverty alleviation. For example, in advance of the European Union’s 2020 ban on palm oil as a biofuel, the industry launched advertisements featuring smallholder farmers whose livelihoods would be lost.25
There is also a mutual benefit for the palm oil and processed food industry, with the latter targeting advertisements for ultra-processed foods towards children (similar to efforts by the tobacco and alcohol industries in targeting children and adolescents)28,29 and the palm oil refining industry benefiting from the corresponding increase in sales of foods containing palm oil.30–33
Apart from establishing a strong lobbying presence in the European Union,1 the palm oil industry has fostered partnerships with policy and research institutes providing policy recommendations against regulation.36
The palm oil industry has also sought to influence global health policy-making. For example, during the drafting of the 2003 WHO/FAO report on Diet, Nutrition and Prevention of Chronic Diseases, the Malaysian Palm Oil Promotion Council questioned the palm oil-related health concerns raised by the report and suggested that any efforts to curb consumption would threaten several million peoples’ livelihoods.33
WHO Bulletin Report: Greenwashing and lobbying by the RSPO and RSPO members. RSPO is linked to limited amounts of reduced deforestation.
“Although its negative #health impacts are contested, a meta-analysis of increased #palmoil 🌴🪔 consumptIon in 23 countries found a strong relationship to higher mortality from #heartdisease.” 🫀💊 ~ @WHO Report #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🙊⛔️https://palmoildetectives.com/2022/08/08/palm-oil-industry-lobbying-and-greenwashing-is-like-big-tobacco-world-health-organisation-who-bulletin/ @palmoildetect
Public health discourse increasingly focuses on the role of alcohol, tobacco and sugar in the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases. Increasingly this dialogue highlights how, in the pursuit of increased profits, the industries involved in these products aim to shape public and political opinion as well as influence research outcomes to influence policies that endanger public health.1,2 The palm oil industry is missing from this dialogue.
Although its negative health impacts are contested,7 a meta-analysis of increased palm oil consumption in 23 countries found a significant relationship with higher mortality from ischaemic heart disease.8
Another systematic review found that palm oil consumption increased blood levels of atherogenic low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.6 As early as 2003, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) described the evidence linking saturated fat consumption with increased risk of cardiovascular disease as convincing.9
WHO Bulletin Report: Palm Oil and Human Health Impacts. Consumption of palm oil is linked to increased risk of mortality from heart disease and stroke.
WHO Bulletin Report: Palm Oil and Human Health Impacts. Consumption of palm oil is linked to increased risk of mortality from heart disease and stroke.
WHO Report – Human rights abuses, child slavery and deforestation are present in the palm oil industry, even associated with so-called “sustainable” palm oil.
The indirect health impacts of oil-palm cultivation are less contested; clearing land for plantations by slash-and-burn practices has led to recurring episodes of harmful haze in South-East Asia.10 The most recent occurrence, in 2015, led to an estimated 100 000 premature deaths in the region from pollutants and documented increases in respiratory, eye and skin diseases.11
The impact of the [palm oil] industry on planetary health, that is, “the health of human civilisation and the state of the natural systems on which it depends”,12 through the cultivation practices of oil-palm trees has also been well-documented.
This entails large-scale deforestation, including loss of up to 50% of trees in some tropical forest areas; endangerment of at-risk species; increased greenhouse gas emissions (due to deforestation and drainage of peat bogs); water and soil pollution; and the rise of certain invasive species.13,14
Palm oil air pollution is linked to higher mortality from respiratory illnesses in SE. Asia. WHO Report 2019
“In Indonesia 🇮🇩 an est. 4 million women👰🧐 work in the #palmoil industry. Children dependent on workers are impacted by lack of child-care 🧺🫃 poor maternal #health, poor #nutrition, difficulty in accessing education.”: #WHO. @palmoildetect 🌴⛔️https://palmoildetectives.com/2022/08/08/palm-oil-industry-lobbying-and-greenwashing-is-like-big-tobacco-world-health-organisation-who-bulletin/
Large-scale industries do not operate in isolation, but have tangible impacts on human and planetary health. An often overlooked actor in the fight against non communicable diseases is the palm oil industry.
The dominance of palm oil in the food processing industry makes it the world’s most widely produced vegetable oil. We applied the commercial determinants of health framework to analyse the palm oil industry. We highlight the industry’s mutually profitable relationship with the processed food industry and its impact on human and planetary health, including detrimental cultivation practices that are linked to respiratory illnesses, deforestation, loss of biodiversity and pollution.
This analysis illustrates many parallels to the contested nature of practices adopted by the alcohol and tobacco industries. The article concludes with suggested actions for researchers, policy-makers and the global health community to address and mitigate the negative impacts of the palm oil industry on human and planetary health.
Public health discourse increasingly focuses on the role of alcohol, tobacco and sugar in the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases. Increasingly this dialogue highlights how, in the pursuit of increased profits, the industries involved in these products aim to shape public and political opinion as well as influence research outcomes to influence policies that endanger public health.1,2 The palm oil industry is missing from this dialogue.
Palm oil is one of the world’s most commonly used vegetable oils, present in around half of frequently used food and consumer products, from snacks to cosmetics.3,4 Worldwide production of the oil has increased from 15 million tonnes in 1995 to 66 million tonnes in 2017. The rapid expansion in use is attributed to yields nearly four times other vegetable oil crops, with similar production costs; favourable characteristics for the food industry (its relatively high smoke point and being semi-solid state at room temperature); and strategies aimed at ensuring government policies are supportive to the expansion of palm oil cultivation, production and use.5 While these factors associated with palm oil offer clear advantages for the processed food industry, the oil contains a much higher percentage of saturated fats compared to other vegetable oils.6
Although its negative health impacts are contested,7 a meta-analysis of increased palm oil consumption in 23 countries found a significant relationship with higher mortality from ischaemic heart disease.8
Another systematic review found that palm oil consumption increased blood levels of atherogenic low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.6 As early as 2003, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) described the evidence linking saturated fat consumption with increased risk of cardiovascular disease as convincing.9
The indirect health impacts of oil-palm cultivation are less contested; clearing land for plantations by slash-and-burn practices has led to recurring episodes of harmful haze in South-East Asia.10 The most recent occurrence, in 2015, led to an estimated 100 000 premature deaths in the region from pollutants and documented increases in respiratory, eye and skin diseases.11
The impact of the [palm oil] industry on planetary health, that is, “the health of human civilisation and the state of the natural systems on which it depends”,12 through the cultivation practices of oil-palm trees has also been well-documented.
This entails large-scale deforestation, including loss of up to 50% of trees in some tropical forest areas; endangerment of at-risk species; increased greenhouse gas emissions (due to deforestation and drainage of peat bogs); water and soil pollution; and the rise of certain invasive species.13,14
Estimations suggest that more than two-thirds of the palm produced goes to food products, making the processed food industry’s relationship with the palm oil industry critical.15 With the United States Food and Drug Administration’s ban on trans-fatty acids (TFA) due to their potential adverse health impacts in 2015,16 and a similar recommendation by the WHO in 2018,17 an increase in the use of palm oil as a potential replacement for TFA in ultra-processed foods could be anticipated. This paper aims to describe the relationship between the palm oil and processed food industries and how these interconnect with public and planetary health. Box 1 lists the key terminology in the palm oil industry.
The commercial determinants of health are defined as “strategies and approaches used by the private sector to promote products and choices that are detrimental to health.”19 We adapted a 2016 framework on the commercial determinants of health (Fig. 1) and applied it to the palm oil industry to review the three domains: (i) drivers (internationalization of trade and capital, expanding outreach of corporations and demands of economic growth); (ii) channels (marketing, supply chains, lobbying and corporate citizenship); and (iii) outcomes (on the environment, consumers and health). The environment component was adapted from the initial framework to expand the scope beyond the social environment.
Drivers
Internationalisation of trade and capital
Oil-palm plantations cover over 27 million hectares worldwide, an area approximately the size of New Zealand. The industry is estimated to be worth 60 billion United States dollars (US$) and employs 6 million people,7 with an additional 11 million people indirectly dependent on it, particularly in rural areas where jobs can be scarce. In 2014, Indonesia and Malaysia accounted for over 53.3 million (85%) of the 62.4 million tonnes of global palm oil production and have rapidly expanded their farming and exports. Indonesia, for example, increased production from 19.2 tonnes in 2008 to 32.0 tonnes in 2016. The largest importers of palm oil are India, China, the European Union countries, Malaysia and Pakistan.20
The palm oil and processed food industries have mutually benefited from increased sales and consumption of products through rapid internationalisation and trade. This trend is likely to continue as low- and middle-income countries increasingly move from eating fresh, minimally processed foods to ultra-processed products.21 Sales by manufacturers of ultra-processed foods containing palm oil have been expanding.22
Although many companies use palm oil, processing and refining is concentrated in a limited number of corporations. Companies source their supply from their own concessions, from a large number of third-party suppliers and smallholders, both independent and tied through partnership agreements.23 Increasingly, large corporations are expanding palm-oil refining capacity, expanding the scope of industry concentration.24 Indonesia and Malaysia have used government policies, including subsidies and land incentives, to assist industry expansion and facilitate greater investment.23
More than half the plantations in Indonesia are industrial estates of > 6000 hectares owned by private companies, with 40% smallholders with plantations < 25 hectares and 7% state-owned.13 When attempts are made to regulate oil-palm cultivation, industry leaders have highlighted the threat to smallholders’ livelihoods, making palm oil production a controversial political issue.25
Demands of growth
The palm oil industry is projected to reach a production value of US$ 88 billion by 2022.20 The increasing availability of palm oil, alongside increasing numbers of countries banning TFA in processed foods,26,27 means that palm oil will likely remain the food industry’s preferred vegetable oil in ultra-processed foods. With China and India continuing to import palm oil for consumption, the growth in its use is anticipated to continue.
Marketing of palm oil does not occur in the traditional sense. Responding to a backlash against accusations of poor environmental and labour practices, the industry has sought to portray its products as sustainable, while highlighting the contribution to poverty alleviation. For example, in advance of the European Union’s 2020 ban on palm oil as a biofuel, the industry launched advertisements featuring smallholder farmers whose livelihoods would be lost.25 There is also a mutual benefit for the palm oil and processed food industry, with the latter targeting advertisements for ultra-processed foods towards children (similar to efforts by the tobacco and alcohol industries in targeting children and adolescents)28,29 and the palm oil refining industry benefiting from the corresponding increase in sales of foods containing palm oil.30–33
There is also a mutual benefit for the palm oil and processed food industry, with the latter targeting advertisements for ultra-processed foods towards children (similar to efforts by the tobacco and alcohol industries in targeting children and adolescents)28,29 and the palm oil refining industry benefiting from the corresponding increase in sales of foods containing palm oil.30–33
Supply chain
The global palm oil supply chain has many businesses, systems and structures, making it difficult to draw a clear line between the different components and identify the impact of each actor.23 For example, a recent brief by the nongovernmental organization (NGO) Ceres, unpacks the key elements of the supply chain and the American industries and companies linked to them (Fig. 2).34 Unilever PLC, who claim to be the largest user of physically certified palm oil in the consumer goods industry,35 recently published details of its entire palm oil supply chain; this included 300 direct suppliers and 1400 mills used in its food, personal care and biofuel products.26,27 The scale of the supply chain is massive and, even by the company’s own admission, social and environmental issues persist.26 The supply chain demonstrates a strong association between the palm oil and processed food industries. Global food processing corporations are further venturing into palm oil refining, creating blurred lines across the supply chain, making it difficult to hold individual actors accountable for any adverse outcomes.
Apart from establishing a strong lobbying presence in the European Union,1 the palm oil industry has fostered partnerships with policy and research institutes providing policy recommendations against regulation.36
For example, the industry-backed World Growth Institute criticised the World Bank’s framework for palm-oil engagement – which seeks prioritisation of smallholders over large corporations and cultivation of plantations on degraded land instead of forested land – as ‘anti-poor’.37
The palm oil industry has also sought to influence global health policy-making. For example, during the drafting of the 2003 WHO/FAO report on Diet, Nutrition and Prevention of Chronic Diseases, the Malaysian Palm Oil Promotion Council questioned the palm oil-related health concerns raised by the report and suggested that any efforts to curb consumption would threaten several million peoples’ livelihoods.33
The palm oil industry has also sought to influence global health policy-making. These tactics include establishing lobbying structures in political and economic hubs, fighting regulations, attempting to undermine reliable sources of information and using poverty alleviation arguments, are similar to those pursued by the tobacco and alcohol industries.38,39
Corporate citizenship
Several major companies and countries have joined to create industry associations to showcase their sustainability efforts. These are membership organizations composed of oil-palm growers, palm oil producers, consumer goods manufacturers, retailers, investors and NGOs which certify sustainability and fair labour standards and include entities such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil and country-specific groups in Indonesia and Malaysia.
In 2017, the Roundtable certified approximately 13.4 tonnes (approximately 20%) of the global production as sustainable. The Roundtable also has partnerships with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, United Nations Environment and United Nations Children’s Fund, aimed at improving its members’ business practices. Twelve of the 16 Roundtable board members are representatives of palm oil processers, manufacturers, retailers, banks, investors or international food processing companies.
The sustainability certification effort has been linked to limited amounts of reduced deforestation, with a recent study finding little impact on forest loss and fire detection.40 Other studies have found that the Roundtable’s board members were still associated with companies involved in mass deforestation.41 Investigations by NGOs have found child labour and human rights violations at Roundtable members’ plantations.42
Despite some positive initiatives by the palm oil and processed food industries to cultivate, produce and source palm oil through sustainable, ethical practices, challenges remain.
Agencies entering partnerships with industry-led initiatives are at risk of becoming complicit in detrimental practices. Indeed, NGOs such as Palm Oil Investigations withdrew support for the Roundtable after evidence of harmful business practices emerged.43
Given the importance of assessing the outcomes of the palm oil industry, we conducted a rapid review of the literature to better understand the impact on the environment, consumers and health. We made a keyword search initially via the PubMed® online database to identify peer-reviewed articles and subsequently via Google search engine to identify other sources of information (Box 2). The review was conducted in June and July 2018 and updated in October 2018. Of 435 articles identified and scanned, we included 40 peer-reviewed articles and eight articles from the grey literature (Fig. 3; Table 1).
Environment
Forest, peatland and biodiversity losses, increased greenhouse gas emissions and habitat fragmentation as well as pollution are environmental concerns continually linked to the palm oil industry.5,10,12,46,52,53,63,69,75,77 In response, countries including Indonesia and Malaysia are increasing industry regulation, seeking to prevent slash-and-burn practices and restoring peatlands.11 Although the results are limited, companies are attempting to engage in more sustainable palm oil cultivation and production practices.13
Forest, peatland and biodiversity losses, increased greenhouse gas emissions and habitat fragmentation as well as pollution are environmental concerns continually linked to the palm oil industry.5,10,12,46,52,53,63,69,75,77 In response, countries including Indonesia and Malaysia are increasing industry regulation, seeking to prevent slash-and-burn practices and restoring peatlands.11 Although the results are limited, companies are attempting to engage in more sustainable palm oil cultivation and production practices.13
Nevertheless, plantations with palm sustainability certification only encompass a fifth of all oil-palm cultivation, certification does not yield the desired benefits and there is limited consumer demand for sustainable palm oil.65
The palm oil industry and noncommunicable diseases’, 2019.
Consumers
In recent years, there have been campaigns by NGOs to increase consumer awareness about palm oil production practices, although success appears limited.65,80 From the processed food industry and health perspective, much work remains to be done. Palm oil derivatives in food, household and cosmetic products can be listed in any one or more of its 200 alternate names.79 Some countries such as Australia and New Zealand only require peanut, sesame and soy oils to be explicitly labelled, while palm oil can fall under a generic category of vegetable oil.79 The World Wildlife Fund lists more than 25 common alternatives to palm oil labelling found in food products (Box 1).18
With its inclusion in many everyday products, unclear food labelling and sometimes conflicting information on health impacts, it can be difficult to know how to identify palm oil in foods. Consumers may be unaware of what they are eating or its safety.
Reports of the health impacts of palm oil consumption in foods are mixed.44,49,51,55,59,61,66,74,76 Some studies link consumption of palm oil to increased ischaemic heart disease mortality, raised low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, increased risk of cardiovascular disease and other adverse effects.6,8,9 Other studies show no negative effects7 or even favourable health outcomes from palm oil consumption.7,45,47,48,50,57,60,67,78
Four of the nine studies in our literature search showing overwhelmingly positive health associations were authored by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board, again drawing parallels with the tobacco and alcohol industries38,39 and calling into question the credibility of claims in favour of increased palm oil consumption.
The contested nature of the evidence suggests the need for independent, comprehensive studies of the health impact of palm oil consumption. Countries such as Fiji, India and Thailand have initiated policy dialogues and analyses aimed at better understanding the role of palm oil in diets and best approaches to reducing saturated fats in the food-chain, but these discussions are far from conclusive.54,58,70,72,73
More unequivocally, land-clearing practices for oil palm cultivation have major public health consequences. Since the 1990s, air pollution from slash-and-burn practices have affected the health of populations in South-East Asia, especially the most vulnerable groups of the population, such as infants and children.11,56 Haze episodes, even across country borders, have been linked to premature deaths and increased respiratory illness as well as cardiovascular diseases.62,71
Of major concern is the effect of exposure to particulate matter on fetal, infant and child mortality, as well as children’s cognitive, educational and economic attainment.81,82 The direct and indirect impact of the palm oil cultivation industry on children, including child labour practices, is especially concerning. In Indonesia, around half of 4 million people employed in the industry are estimated to be women. Even when they are not directly employed, children dependent on palm oil workers are adversely affected by inadequate maternity protection, low breastfeeding rates, lack of child-care opportunities, poor maternal health and nutrition, and difficultly in accessing education.64
Discussion
This paper illustrates how the palm oil industry, in close connection with the processed food industry, impacts human and planetary health. The impact also cuts across other sectors, such as education, child protection, as well as having implications for gender-related policies and practices. A limitation of our rapid review is that not all the information from these industries is publicly available and, with limited peer-reviewed materials available on the palm oil industry, we included media reports, environmental activist web sites and other grey literature. This article is not meant to be exhaustive and therefore does not avert the need for an extensive systematic review of the human and planetary health outcomes of the palm oil industry, spanning other sectors such as labour, gender and use as biofuel.
The palm oil industry is an overlooked actor in discussions on noncommunicable diseases. The current widespread use of palm oil draws attention to the ultra-processed unhealthy food system and the need to deepen and expand existing research on the industry. However, we need to carefully consider practical policy options and their implications. For example, encouraging use of oils with lower saturated fat content in ultra-processed foods could have a greater detrimental impact on the environment than palm oil, through further deforestation and loss of biodiversity (given the need for more natural resources to cultivate such crops). Policy-makers may therefore need to consider ways to reduce the demand for oils more specifically and for unhealthy ultra-processed foods more broadly. Such actions would benefit not only the noncommunicable disease agenda, but also human and planetary health as part of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Addressing the palm oil industry’s impact goes beyond a single industry, product or sector. Taking a multifaceted approach, we suggest three sets of actions for researchers, policy-makers and the global health community (NGOs and international organizations; Box 3).
Suggested actions to address the palm oil industry’s impact
Address impact on health
Researchers
Investigate the health impact of ultra-processed foods, including specific ingredients such as palm oil;
study the long-term consequences of daily consumption of unhealthy, ultra-processed foods and their ingredients, including the effects on children; and
research the effect of combinations of ingredients in ultra-processed foods.
Policy-makers
Identify and address industries that adversely impact noncommunicable diseases and the broader human and planetary health agenda;
develop and enforce stricter labelling requirements for ultra-processed foods, including listing of ingredients and their potential harmful effects;
regulate the palm oil supply chains across sectors such as health, environment, labour, and child protection, including needed gender-related policies and practices; and
consider measures to reduce the production and consumption of unhealthy, ultra-processed foods.
Global health community
Tackle the issue of unhealthy mass-produced and processed foods and beverages synergistically instead of discretely by ingredient (e.g. palm oil, sugar, fats); and
facilitate consumer awareness and action on the negative impacts of palm oil cultivation, production and consumption.
Mitigate industry influences
Researchers
Drawing on experience with the tobacco and alcohol industries, understand and mitigate the influence of industries involved in palm oil production and manufactured foods; and
exercise caution when engaging in research activities using funding from the palm oil and related industries.
Policy-makers
Avoid the influence of lobbying by food industries whose practices adversely impact human and planetary health;
develop and enforce strict regulations that avoid political patronage or related practices (i.e. elected officials sitting on industry boards); and
introduce measures to reduce the population’s consumption of unhealthy, ultra-processed foods (e.g. by taxation, restricting advertising) and to increase the consumption of healthier, whole foods.
Global health community
When considering partnerships with the palm oil industry or their related entities, ensure public health priorities are not co-opted by private sector agendas; and
avoid the risk of perceived or real complicity, including avoiding funding or partnership opportunities for health that might come at the expense of other sectors such as environment or labour.
Work across SDGs
Researchers
Study interlinkages across complex systems of the palm oil and related industries aimed at identifying cross-sectoral solutions.
Policy-makers
Design policies that do not sacrifice longer-term health, environmental and social concerns for immediate economic gains and profits.
Global health community
Identify allies across sectors such as environment, child protection, labour and gender that can join in evidence generation and advocacy around the detrimental impacts of palm oil on human and planetary health; and
reform global health governance structures and funding mechanisms with the aim of promoting intersectoral action instead of narrow disease-specific programmes.
We need to better understand and address the content, health impact and supply chains of palm oil products. The evidence on health remains mixed. Furthermore, the so-called cocktail effect remains unknown; individual ingredients of ultra-processed foods may be harmless alone, but consumed in combination, daily, could be damaging.83 This also includes understanding the associated supply chains and the needed accountability measures aimed at addressing potential determinantal actions from the palm oil and related industries.
Mitigate industry influences
We need to mitigate the influence of the palm oil and related industries on public health policies and programmes. The relationship between the palm oil and processed food industries, and the tactics they employ, resembles practices adopted by the tobacco and alcohol industries. However, the palm oil industry receives comparatively little scrutiny. Palm oil use will likely continue, given the relatively low production costs of palm oil, high profit margins of ultra-processed foods, abundant use of palm oil in processed foods and prevalence of palm oil use in several industries (without a current viable alternative). As seen with recent examples, the public health community, whether multilateral agencies84 or research institutes85, is not immune to industry influence. Political ties to industries merit further exploration.86
Work across the SDGs
Palm oil use in ultra-processed foods follows a long, complex chain. Even as the direct health impact remains unclear, cultivation and production and related practices contribute to environmental pollution, respiratory illnesses and loss of biodiversity. Furthermore, with documented forced and child labour and human rights abuses, as well as gender-related issues, such as inadequate maternity protections in palm oil plantations, understanding and addressing the influence of the palm oil industry cuts across different sectors and different SDGs. Therefore, narrow, health-specific measures cannot be implemented in isolation.
Conclusions
As the most prevalent vegetable oil in food manufacturing, palm oil is an integral component of the food supply chain. While the direct health effects of palm oil remain contested, the indirect health impacts of cultivating this product are many. Commercial determinants play a vital role in a complex system that leads to the production and consumption of foods detrimental to human health. The discourse on noncommunicable diseases and human health can no longer be separated from the dialogue on planetary health.
2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you or to help pay for ongoing running costs.
Palm Oil is a vegetable oil found in many products It is responsible for destroying many millions acres of rain forests chasing species after species to extinction levels especially awesome Orangutan Demand full Palm Oil labeling and stop buying their products before too late pic.twitter.com/3gDSF25YnL
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Climate change. Climate denial. Global warming. Call it what you will, the planet is shouting at us. We have ignored the warning signs for decades, but we can no longer ignore what is happening right now.
The definition of refugee or displaced person is someone fleeing a life-threatening crisis. The emerging refugees of this century are fleeing unliveable environmental conditions brought about by climate change and other complex interrelated factors including conflict, disease and famine. Humans and non-human beings alike are becoming climate change refugees. The choices are stark and clear – move and live or stay where you are and perish.
What started out decades ago as muted warnings about the future have now turned into blaring bull horns. Politicians waste time spinning whatever tales fit their agenda but we are out of time if we don’t want to go down with the sinking ship called Earth.
The damage we have done to the planet’s natural resources can never be undone. Equally damaging is the lack of political will to pivot to more sustainable less damaging forms of energy or food production. None of this happened in a bubble nor did it happen overnight.
According to the Internal Displacement Migration Centre (IDMC)’s 2022 GRID report, from the total of 38 million new internal displacements registered in 2021, 23.7 million were triggered by disasters. At the end of 2021, at least 5.9 million people in 84 countries and territories were living in displacement as a result of disasters that happened not only in 2021, but also in previous years (IDMC, 2022).
As far back as the 1970s and 80s we knew much of the damage we were doing. One can only blow up so many mountains or release so many chemicals into the air and water before our fragile ecosystems become damaged beyond repair.
We humans attribute the term refugee (or displaced person) only to other humans. However, the reality is that any living creature who is forced to leave their native home in order to survive is a climate refugee or a climate displaced being.
For non-human beings, the extreme impacts of climate change mean either dying or quickly adapting and moving on. In many cases, adaptation is not a realistic or feasible choice.
For humans living at sea level on the coast – they too will face having to migrate to higher ground and risk losing their homes to coastal erosion and rising tides. These changes are already occurring in different parts of the world.
What the oceans tell us
We’ve all heard the news stories with dire warnings about a warming ocean, rising tides and ocean acidification. This is having a devastating effect on marine animals, as they rely on shells for protection. Acid in the water is thinning the delicate shells of these crustaceans and putting species survival in jeopardy.
Rising tides have already caused erosion for many coastal dwellers. For many small island nations that means many residents will be forced to emigrate or (if possible) move inland. In wealthy nations, waterfront property that was once highly prized will become harder to sell. As buyers will weigh up the likelihood of the property being flooded.
Staci-Lee Sherwood is a courageous writer and passionate animal advocate based in the US who highlights the plight of frequently forgotten species on the brink of extinction, as well as persecuted species, such as wild horses and wolves in her home country. She started Reality Checks with Staci-Lee as a way of providing helpful information to concerned animal lovers about what is really happening to wild animals in America. She does not shy away from naming and shaming individuals, corporations and government agencies responsible for this immense cruelty. In addition to her website Reality Checks with Staci-Lee, she often publishes companion videos on Youtube. She is a part of the #Boycott4Wildlife collective of activists and she is deeply concerned about the threat of palm oil agriculture, deforestation, poaching and other threats on rare rainforest animals.
Her work has been published in Scubaverse, Emagazine, Wild World magazine, Sea Speak Sphere, DiscoverScience 2020, Pagosa Daily Post, Daily Kos, The Good Men Project, Straight from the Horse’s Heart, Spirit Change and her poetry has been published in Fevers of the mind.
#Indigenous Peoples and local communities provide the best long-term outcomes for conservation, according to research. An international team conducting a systematic review that found conservation success is “the exception rather than the rule”. The study suggests the answer is equitable conservation, which empowers and supports the environmental stewardship of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, over interventional colonialist-era outsider organisations.
The research team studied the outcomes of 169 conservation projects around the world – primarily across Africa, Asia and Latin America.
From restoring national forests in Taiwan and community gardens in Nepal, to watershed restoration in the Congo, sustainable fisheries in Norway, game management in Zambia, and preserving wetlands in Ghana – the team took into account a range of projects.
Dayak man, Kalimantan
They investigated how governance – the arrangements and decision making behind conservation efforts – affects both nature and the well-being of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
The work, which is part of the JustConservation research project funded by the French Foundation for Research on Biodiversity (FRB) within its Centre for Biodiversity Synthesis and Analysis (CESAB), and was initiated through the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (IUCN CEESP).
It is the result of collaboration between 17 scientists, including researchers from the European School of Political and Social Sciences (ESPOL) at the Catholic University of Lille and UEA.
Dr Dawson, a Research Fellow, examines poverty, wellbeing and environmental justice among rural populations, particularly poor and marginalised social and ethnic groups, and is a Steering Committee member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (IUCN CEESP).
Dr Dawson said: “This study shows it is time to focus on who conserves nature and how, instead of what percentage of the Earth to fence off.”
“Conservation led by Indigenous Peoples and local communities, based on their own knowledge and tenure systems, is far more likely to deliver positive outcomes for nature. In fact, conservation very often fails because it excludes and undervalues local knowledge and this often infringes on rights and cultural diversity along the way.”
International conservation organisations and governments often lead the charge on conservation projects, excluding or controlling local practices, most prominently through strict protected areas.
The study recommends Indigenous Peoples and local communities need to be at the helm of conservation efforts, with appropriate support from outside, including policies and laws that recognise their knowledge systems.”
Furthermore, it is imperative to shift to this approach without delay, Dr Dawson said.
“Current policy negotiations, especially the forthcoming UN climate and biodiversity summits, must embrace and be accountable for ensuring the central role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in mainstream climate and conservation programs. Otherwise, they will likely set in stone another decade of well-meaning practices that result in both ecological decline and social harms.
“Whether for tiger reserves in India, coastal communities in Brazil or wildflower meadows in the UK, the evidence shows that the same basis for successful conservation through stewardship holds true. Currently, this is not the way mainstream conservation efforts work.”
Craig Jones Wildlife Photography – A Bengal tiger drinking at a river
From an initial pool of over 3,000 publications, 169 were found to provide detailed evidence of both the social and ecological sides of conservation.
Strikingly, the authors found that 56 per cent of the studies investigating conservation under ‘local’ control reported positive outcomes for both human well-being and conservation.
For ‘externally’ controlled conservation, only 16 per cent reported positive outcomes and more than a third of cases resulted in ineffective conservation and negative social outcomes, in large part due to the conflicts arising with local communities.
However, simply granting control to local communities does not automatically guarantee conservation success.
Local institutions are every bit as complex as the ecosystems they govern, and this review highlights that a number of factors must align to realise successful stewardship.
Community cohesion, shared knowledge and values, social inclusion, effective leadership and legitimate authority are important ingredients that are often disrupted through processes of globalisation, modernisation or insecurity, and can take many years to re-establish.
Additionally, factors beyond the local community can greatly impede local stewardship, such as laws and policies that discriminate against local customs and systems in favour of commercial activities. Moving towards more equitable and effective conservation can therefore be seen as a continuous and collaborative process.
Dr Dawson said: “Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ knowledge systems and actions are the main resource that can generate successful conservation. To try to override them is counterproductive, but it continues, and the current international policy negotiations and resulting pledges to greatly increase the global area of land and sea set aside for conservation are neglecting this key point.
“Conservation strategies need to change, to recognise that the most important factor in achieving positive conservation outcomes is not the level of restrictions or magnitude of benefits provided to local communities, but rather recognising local cultural practices and decision-making. It is imperative to shift now towards an era of conservation through stewardship.”
‘The role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in effective and equitable conservation’ is published in the journal Ecology and Society on September 2, 2021.
Conservationists have designated August 12 as World Elephant Day to raise awareness about conserving these majestic animals. Elephants have many engaging features, from their incredibly dexterous trunks to their memory abilities and complex social lives.
But there is much less discussion of their brains, even though it stands to reason that such a large animal has a pretty big brain (about 12 pounds). Indeed, until recently very little was actually known about the elephant brain, in part because obtaining well-preserved tissue suitable for microscopic study is extremely difficult.
Elephants use tool use, creative problem-solving and empathy in their daily lives. The special morphology of elephant brains reminds us that there is more than one way to wire an intelligent brain. #Boycott4Wildlife to protect them
The brains of all species are unique. Indeed, even the brains of individuals within a given species are unique. However, the special morphology of elephant cortical neurons reminds us that there is certainly more than one way to wire an intelligent brain.
My lab group has long been interested in the morphology, or shape, of neurons in the cerebral cortex of mammals. The cortex constitutes the thin, outer layer of neurons (nerve cells) that cover the two cerebral hemispheres. It is closely associated with higher cognitive functions such as coordinated voluntary movement, integration of sensory information, sociocultural learning and the storing of memories that define an individual.
These images illustrate the process of removing a small section of cerebral cortex from the right cerebral hemisphere of the elephant. This tissue is stained and placed on a glass slide so that, under the microscope, one can see individual neurons and trace them in three dimensions. Robert Jacobs, CC BY-ND
The arrangement and morphology of neurons in the cortex is relatively uniform across mammals – or so we thought after decades of investigations on human and nonhuman primate brains, and the brains of rodents and cats. As we found when we were able to analyze elephant brains, the morphology of elephant cortical neurons is radically different from anything we had ever observed before.
How neurons are visualized and quantified
The process of exploring neuronal morphology begins with staining brain tissue after it has been fixed (chemically preserved) for a period of time. In our laboratory we use a technique over 125 years old called the Golgi stain, named after Italian biologist and Nobel Laureate Camillo Golgi (1843-1926).
This methodology set the foundation of modern neuroscience. For example, Spanish neuroanatomist and Nobel Laureate Santiago Ramon y Cajal (1852-1934) used this technique to provide a road map of what neurons look like and how they are connected with each other.
The Golgi stain impregnates only a small percentage of neurons, allowing individual cells to appear relatively isolated with a clear background. This reveals the dendrites, or branches, that constitute the receptive surface area of these neurons. Just as branches on a tree bring in light for photosynthesis, the dendrites of neurons allow the cell to receive and synthesize incoming information from other cells. The greater the complexity of the dendritic systems, the more information a particular neuron can process.
Once we stain neurons, we can trace them in three dimensions under the microscope, with the help of a computer and specialized software, revealing the complex geometry of neuronal networks. In this study, we traced 75 elephant neurons. Each tracing took one to five hours, depending on the complexity of the cell.
What elephant neurons look like
Even after doing this kind of research for years, it remains exciting to look at tissue under the microscope for the first time. Each stain is a walk through a different neural forest. When we examined sections of elephant tissue, it was clear that the basic architecture of the elephant cortex was different from that of any other mammals that have been examined to date – including its closest living relatives, the manatee and the rock hyrax.
Tracings of the most common neuron (the pyramidal neuron) in the cerebral cortex of several species. Note that the elephant has widely branching apical dendrites, whereas all other species have a more singular, ascending apical dendrite. The scale bar = 100 micrometers (or 0.004 of an inch). Bob Jacobs, CC BY-ND
Here are three major differences that we found between cortical neurons in the elephant and those found in other mammals.
First, the dominant cortical neuron in mammals is the pyramidal neuron. These are also prominent in the elephant cortex, but they have a very different structure. Instead of having a singular dendrite that comes off the apex of the cell (known as an apical dendrite), apical dendrites in the elephant typically branch widely as they ascend to the surface of the brain. Instead of a single, long branch like a fir tree, the elephant apical dendrite resembles two human arms reaching upward.
A variety of cortical neurons in the elephant that are seldom if ever observed in the cortex of other mammals. Note that all of them are characterized by dendrites that spread out from the cell body laterally, sometimes over considerable distances. The scale bar = 100 micrometers (or 0.004 of an inch). Bob Jacobs, CC BY-ND
Second, the elephant exhibits a much wider variety of cortical neurons than do other species. Some of these, such as the flattened pyramidal neuron, are not found in other mammals. One characteristic of these neurons is that their dendrites extend laterally from the cell body over long distances. In other words, like the apical dendrites of pyramidal cells, these dendrites also extend out like human arms uplifted to the sky.
Third, the overall length of pyramidal neuron dendrites in elephants is about the same as in humans. However, they are arranged differently. Human pyramidal neurons tend to have a large number of shorter branches, whereas the elephant has a smaller number of much longer branches. Whereas primate pyramidal neurons seem to be designed for sampling very precise input, the dendritic configuration in elephants suggests that their dendrites sample a very broad array of input from multiple sources.
Taken together, these morphological characteristics suggest that neurons in the elephant cortex may synthesize a wider variety of input than the cortical neurons in other mammals.
In terms of cognition, my colleagues and I believe that the integrative cortical circuitry in the elephant supports the idea that they are essentially contemplative animals. Primate brains, by comparison, seem specialized for rapid decision-making and quick reactions to environmental stimuli.
A tuskless matriarch elephant shows kindness toward young orphan elephants trying to find their way in the Kenyan bush.
The brains of all species are unique. Indeed, even the brains of individuals within a given species are unique. However, the special morphology of elephant cortical neurons reminds us that there is certainly more than one way to wire an intelligent brain.
Pangolins are one of the most illegally trafficked animals on the planet and are suspected to be linked to the current coronavirus pandemic. Pangolins are also one of the world’s most threatened species but new efforts are underway to reintroduce pangolins to parts of Africa where the animal has been extinct for decades. Help these remarkable armoured wonders to survive and call out wildlife trafficking when you see it online, also #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🚜🔥☠️⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife in the supermarket!
Pangolins are the only mammals wholly-covered in scales, which they use to protect themselves from predators. They can also curl up into a tight ball.
They eat mainly ants, termites and larvae which they pick up with their sticky tongue. They can grow up to 1m in length from nose to tail and are sometimes referred to as scaly anteaters.
But all eight pangolin species are classified as “threatened” under International Union for Conservation of Nature criteria.
There is an unprecedented demand for their scales, primarily from countries in Asia and Africa where they are used in food, cultural remedies and medicine.
Between 2017 and 2019, seizures of pangolin scales tripled in volume. In 2019 alone, 97 tons of pangolin scales, equivalent to about 150,000 animals, were reportedly intercepted leaving Africa.
There is further evidence of the illegal trade in pangolin species openly on social media platforms such as Facebook.
The intense global trafficking of the species means the entire order (Pholidota) is threatened with extinction. For example, the Temminck’s pangolins (Smutsia temminckii) went extinct in South Africa’s KwaZulu Natal Province three decades ago.
Temminck’s Pangolin Smutsia temminckii Temminck’s Pangolin Smutsia temminckii Temminck’s Pangolin Smutsia temminckii Temminck’s Pangolin Smutsia temminckii A Temminck’s Pangolin Smutsia temminckii mother carries her infant Pangopup on her back by Pangolin Crisis
Reintroduction of an extinct species
Each year in South Africa the African Pangolin Working Group (APWG) retrieves between 20 and 40 pangolins through intelligence operations with security forces.
These pangolins are often-traumatised and injured and are admitted to the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital for extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation before they can be considered for release.
In 2019, seven rescued Temminck’s pangolins were reintroduced into South Africa’s Phinda Private Game Reserve in the KwaZulu Natal Province.
Nine months on, five have survived. This reintroduction is a world first for a region that last saw a viable population of this species in the 1980s.
During the release, every individual pangolin followed a strict regime. They needed to become familiar with their new surroundings and be able to forage efficiently.
Pangolins curl up into a tight ball of scales. Alex Braczkowski
Pangolins released immediately following medical treatment had a low level of survival for various reasons, including inability to adapt to their release sites.
A ‘soft release’ in to the wild
The process on Phinda game reserve involved a more gentle ease into re-wilding a population in a region that had not seen pangolins for many decades.
The soft release had two phases:
a pre-release observational period
an intensive monitoring period post release employing GPS satellite as well as VHF tracking tags.
A satellite tag is fitted to each pangolin before release and transmits its location on an hourly basis. Alex Braczkowski
The pre-release period lasted between two to three weeks and were characterised by daily walks (three to five hours) of individuals on the reserves. These walks were critical for acclimatising individuals to the local habitat, its sounds, smells and possible threats. It also helped them source suitable and sufficient ant and termite species for food.
Following that, the post release period of two to three months involved locating released pangolins daily at first, and then twice per week where they were weighed, a rapid health assessment was made and habitat features such as burrows and refuges monitored.
Phinda reserve manager Simon Naylor said:
A key component of the post release period was whether individuals gained or maintained their weight.
The way the animals move after release also reveals important clues to whether they will stay in an area; if they feed, roll in dung, enter burrows. Much of this behaviour indicates site fidelity and habitat acceptance.
Following nine months of monitoring and tracking, five of the seven survived in the region. One died of illness while the other was killed by a Nile crocodile.
Released pangolins are located at burrows like this one. Alex Braczkowski
Why pangolin reintroduction is important
We know so little about this group of mammals that are vastly understudied and hold many secrets yet to be discovered by science but are on the verge of collapse.
The South African and Phinda story is one of hope for the Temminck’s pangolin where they once again roam the savanna hills and plains of Zululand.
The process of relocating these trade animals back into the wild has taken many turns, failures and tribulations but, the recipe of the “soft release” is working.
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2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
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Palm Oil is a vegetable oil found in many products It is responsible for destroying many millions acres of rain forests chasing species after species to extinction levels especially awesome Orangutan Demand full Palm Oil labeling and stop buying their products before too late pic.twitter.com/3gDSF25YnL
Pandemics are linked to deforestation – and deforestation is linked to palm oil, meat and other things we eat
Forests are vital! Their plants and fruits feed expansive ecosystems, subsequently supporting global biodiversity. They churn out the oxygen that fills our lungs. They’re even good for our mental well-being.
Palm oil is found in roughly 50 percent of packaged household products ranging from peanut butter to lipstick. Now, researchers link its harvesting to disease outbreaks that could spread to humans. This is the first study to examine the cause-and-effect relationship between changes in forest cover and subsequent disease outbreaks on a global scale.
A study published in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science extends this understanding to deforestation related to the agricultural production of goods, such as palm oil.
In recent years, we’ve also become keenly aware of the role forests play in regulating animal diseases that could spread to humans. The Covid-19 pandemic made this point salient and prompted scientists to redouble efforts to understand how pandemics can link back to deforestation. Research suggests zoonotic diseases, health, and forests exist in a feedback loop with dire consequences.
Elephant in the Room by Jo Frederiks
WHAT’S NEW — Perhaps counterintuitively, the study also suggests reforestation — or an increase in forest cover — may also accelerate disease outbreaks.
Lead author Serge Morand, a director of research at Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in France, explained this head-scratching phenomenon in a press statement.
“We don’t yet know the precise ecological mechanisms at play, but we hypothesize that plantations, such as oil palm, develop at the expense of natural wooded areas, and reforestation is mainly monospecific forest made at the expense of grasslands,” Morand said.
Hersheys is responsible for palm oil deforestation despite supposedly using “sustainable” palm oil.
In the case of this study, “forest” does not refer to the idyllic, centuries-old woodland that typically comes to mind. Instead, “forest” follows a more specific definition: “land spanning more than 0.5 hectares with trees.”
Planting an acre of a monoculture crop — such as an orchard of fruit trees — is technically considered forest growth, even though monocultures are unsustainable and ultimately reduce biodiversity. This new study shows how this kind of commercialized “reforestation” contributes to disease outbreaks just like deforestations.
“Both land use changes are characterized by loss of biodiversity and these simplified habitats favor animal reservoirs and vectors of diseases,” Morand said.
Necessary Background
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States (FAO), primary forests have decreased in size by 80 million hectares since the 1990s. A single hectare is about 2.5 times the size of a standard football field, which measures roughly an acre.
The study found a quarter of global forest loss has occurred due to an increased demand for food products like beef and palm oil, which requires cutting down forests to build plantations or rear livestock.
The cultivation of palm oil on plantations has been especially destructive for forests in Indonesia, which also are home to large numbers of diverse animals.
Cutting down one hectare of forest for palm oil also contributes 174 tons of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of a jetliner’s carbon output, the study suggests.
It’s Their Home Too by Jo Frederiks
The authors connect rapid deforestation and the correlating increase in palm-oil plantations between 1990 and 2016 to the spread of vector-borne diseases — diseases like dengue that are spread by bites from insects such as mosquitoes — and zoonotic diseases that jump from animals to humans.
How they did it
The scientists gathered country-by-country data on deforestation from the World Bank, palm oil from the FAO, and rates of infectious human diseases from GIDEON, an online informatics network.
They then generated two statistical models to look at the relationship between forest cover and disease outbreaks and palm oil plantations and infectious diseases between 1990 and 2016.
These models demonstrate a clear increase in disease outbreaks tied to deforestation and the construction of palm oil plantations, with the most severe increases in disease outbreaks occurring in the few years leading up to 2016.
Ultimately, data pulled from 47 countries suggests a connection between forest cover loss and a rise in zoonotic diseases. Meanwhile, reforestation practices may have been responsible for the loss of animal biodiversity and increased zoonotic disease outbreaks in 27 countries.
“Reforestation can increase biodiversity loss when forest expansion is made at the expense of grasslands, savannas, and open-canopy woodlands,” the study team writes.
Surprisingly, reforestation correlated most strongly with disease outbreaks in areas with more grassland and less tropical climates, including the United States and Europe.
Why it matters
Deforestation due to palm oil plantations — and certain types of agricultural “reforestation” — makes transmission of zoonotic diseases more likely because it removes the natural habitats of animals, including bats that are carriers for novel diseases.
“Our result shows that oil palm plantations may also constitute a threat to global health by favoring zoonotic and vector-borne diseases,” the researchers write.
These animals then come into closer proximity with humans, increasing the possibility of disease transmission.
What’s Next
Now there’s more data supporting the relationship between deforestation and disease outbreaks, the study team argues we must act swiftly to reduce the chance of future pandemics.
They also say there’s a need to make sure future reforestation efforts — even well-intended ones — don’t end up creating unintended disease outbreaks and biodiversity loss by planting too much of one tree and creating a monoculture.
With these concerns in mind, the researchers propose three key recommendations for policy-makers.
Halting deforestation through international treaties governing forest management
Developing further research on how forests and other ecosystems regulate disease
Holding accountable predatory corporations that profit from deforestation
“We hope that these results will help policymakers recognize that forests contribute to a healthy planet and people, and that governing bodies need to avoid afforestation and agricultural conversion of grasslands,” Morand said.
Abstract: Deforestation is a major cause of biodiversity loss with a negative impact on human health. This study explores at global scale whether the loss and gain of forest cover and the rise of oil palm plantations can promote outbreaks of vector-borne and zoonotic diseases. Taking into account the human population growth, we find that the increases in outbreaks of zoonotic and vector-borne diseases from 1990 to 2016 are linked with deforestation, mostly in tropical countries, and with reforestation, mostly in temperate countries. We also find that outbreaks of vector-borne diseases are associated with the increase in areas of palm oil plantations. Our study gives new support for a link between global deforestation and outbreaks of zoonotic and vector-borne diseases as well as evidence that reforestation and plantations may also contribute to epidemics of infectious diseases. The results are discussed in light of the importance of forests for biodiversity, livelihoods and human health and the need to urgently build an international governance framework to ensure the preservation of forests and the ecosystem services they provide, including the regulation of diseases. We develop recommendations to scientists, public health officers and policymakers who should reconcile the need to preserve biodiversity while taking into account the health risks posed by lack or mismanagement of forests.
Here are some other ways you can help by using your wallet as a weapon and joining the #Boycott4Wildlife
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Most people probably think that the rainforest of central and west Africa, the second largest in the world, has been around for millions of years. However recent research suggests that it is mostly just 2,000 or so years old. The forest reached roughly its modern state following five centuries of regeneration after it was massively fragmented when the dry season suddenly became longer some 2,500 years ago. Help #chimpanzees to survive and #Boycottpalmoil#Boycott4Wildlife every time you shop
This process was not linked to humans. The forest recovery was instead made possible by seed dispersers including chimpanzees, which helped spread the slower-growing rainforest tree species. However, dispersers such as chimpanzees are now threatened by deforestation and hunting, often for bushmeat. When combined with climate change, the resilience of the rainforests seems less guaranteed for the future.
I began thinking about natural processes in African forests back in 1993, when I was with my wife-to-be trying to follow wild chimpanzees next to Jane Goodall’s famous group at Gombe, in Tanzania. We were inspired by one of the directors of research at Gombe, Anthony Collins, who suggested that the chimpanzees might be influencing the composition of the forest for their own nutritional needs, by what fruits they pooed out and where. A kind of “proto gardening”.
And then unexpectedly I had to leave the chimpanzees after I succeeded in getting a small grant to study past vegetation change using fossilised pollen, but in the Andes.
A few years later, I found myself giving lectures at Cambridge on human impacts over the past 10,000 years, and suddenly “returning” not only to the tropical rainforests of Africa, but their history. At the time, scientists thought humans were largely responsible for the collapse of the forests from 3,000 years ago.
The first few scientific papers I read used the abundance of pollen from the oil palm tree, preserved in the dated layers of lake muds, as an indicator of human activity. The oil palm is the same species often planted on a massive industrial scale in the tropics today, and since it’s always been an important source of nutrition for people in the region, scientists had assumed it indicated the presence of humans.
Shortly after, I began working in a pollen laboratory in Montpellier in southern France which had a long-term focus on African forest history. There, my simplified view of fossilised oil palm pollen equalling the presence of humans was totally overturned.
Rainforest history records were being amassed that indicated the near-decimation of rainforests some 2,500 years ago in the Congo Basin and across a huge expanse stretching from modern-day Senegal to Rwanda. As there was only very limited archaeological evidence of thinly dispersed human populations, humans could not have been responsible for the almost synchronous destruction on such a huge scale.
Africa hosts the world’s second largest rainforest
Tropical rainforests (dark green) still cover much of central and west Africa. Vzb83 / wiki, CC BY-SA
So what did cause these rainforests to collapse? It turns out the answer was not humans, but climate change.
In a paper recently published in the journal Global Planetary Change, my colleagues Pierre Giresse, Jean Maley and I use the many vegetation records available across central and west Africa to show that approximately 2,500 years ago, the length of the dry season increased. Rainforests became highly fragmented, and savanna vegetation – grasses, scattered shrubs and trees – moved in.
In the centuries that followed, the forests regenerated spontaneously, including with species such as the oil palm. The oil palm demands a lot of light and so thrives in open areas or in the gaps created in forests when the canopy opens up rather than in the dense centre. Thus it often acts as a “pioneer species” allowing the forest to regrow.
But the oil palm’s large seeds are too heavy to be blown in the wind. They therefore need to be dispersed in the poo of animals such as chimpanzees which are able to swallow the large seeds and for whom the bright orange flesh can be an important part of the diet. And this is how chimps and other seed-dispersers played a crucial role in regenerating Africa’s rainforests.
Oil palm fruit swallowed and deposited in faeces by chimpanzee at Gombe National Park. D Mwacha A Collins / Jane Goodall Institute, Author provided
Seed dispersers under threat
When we began this research, we could not see how relevant it would become during the current pandemic. Now climate change, deforestation and hunting are all heavily impacting those same forests. The bushmeat market is contributing to removing keystone species such as chimpanzees. Without animals to move seeds around – especially the largest and heaviest seeds – the natural composition and regeneration of forests is threatened.
At the turn of the 20th century there were around 1 million chimpanzees, but today only an estimated 172,000-300,000 remain in the wild. Chimps and other seed-dispersing species provide a valuable service and must be better protected in order to protect the forests themselves, and prevent further unforeseen impacts.
Cusano, an alpha male in Gombe, Tanzania, was among those who died in the 1996 respiratory outbreak. Alex Chepstow-Lusty, Author provided
For example, the transmission of diseases to humans has also been linked to the bushmeat trade. And transmission is not necessarily one way. In June 1996, three years after my wife and I left the chimps at Mitumba in Gombe National Park, possibly up to half the group died within a few days of a respiratory disease outbreak that was likely transmitted to them by humans.
Perhaps there is a lot more resilience in these tropical forest ecosystems than we can predict. But without chimpanzees and other animals as dispersers, the emptier forests that may eventually grow back would be a sad replacement. Maybe we need to consider the true value of chimp poo, and those that produce it.
The Common Hippopotamus, or Hippo, is a powerful and enduring symbol of Africa’s rivers and wetlands. Once common throughout all of Africa and the revered subjects of African folklore —their populations are now in peril. Hippo numbers plummeted in the 1990s and early 2000s due to unregulated #hunting and land conversion for #palmoil#cocoa and #tobacco #agriculture and human settlement. Although some strongholds remain in East and Southern Africa, many populations are in decline across #WestAfrica and Central Africa. Hippos are now listed as #Vulnerable on the Red List, with threats from freshwater habitat loss, illegal hunting for meat and ivory, and increasing conflicts with people. Use your voice and your wallet to push for stronger protections for Hippos and their riverine homes. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
Bulky yet graceful in the water, Common Hippos are unmistakable. With barrel-like bodies, glistening greyish-brown skin, and short legs ending in splayed, webbed toes, they cut a surreal figure at sunset when emerging to graze. Their broad heads house fearsome canines, but their expression is often curiously serene. Most evocatively, Hippos secrete a crimson, oily substance sometimes called ‘blood sweat’—a natural sunscreen and antibiotic that turns red on exposure to air (Saikawa et al., 2004). This vivid secretion lends them a mythical quality.
Hippos spend the day submerged in rivers or lakes, clustered together in herds called schools. At night, they trudge kilometres from water to feed. Though sociable in water, they become solitary on land. Territorial males guard stretches of water, with fierce battles and dramatic yawns serving as display and deterrent. Vocalisations resonate both above and below water—a rare feat among mammals.
Diet
The primary threats to Common Hippos are habitat loss or degradation and illegal and unregulated hunting for meat and ivory (found in the canine teeth). Habitat loss and conflict with agricultural development and farming are a major problem for hippo conservation in many countries (Brugière et al. 2006, Kanga 2013, Kendall 2013, Brugière and Scholte 2013).
IUCN red list
Despite their massive size, Hippos are grazers. Emerging at night, they nibble short grasses using their muscular lips. Their diet consists mainly of terrestrial grass species, not aquatic plants. Hippo lawns—regularly grazed pastures—are shaped by their nightly foraging. Their specialised gut supports fermentation similar to ruminants, but they do not chew cud.
Reproduction and Mating
Common Hippos follow a polygynous breeding system with dominant males controlling access to a group of females within a territory. Mating occurs in water, often accompanied by loud vocalisations and displays. Females become sexually mature between the ages of seven and nine, while males reach maturity around nine to eleven years of age. Breeding can occur year-round, but peaks during the rainy season when water levels rise, facilitating easier movement and access to mating territories. After a gestation period of around eight months, a female usually gives birth to a single calf, often in the water.
Newborn calves weigh between 25–50 kilograms and can suckle underwater thanks to special adaptations that close their ears and nostrils. They remain close to their mother for protection, often riding on her back in deep water. Lactation can continue for 12–18 months, and females generally breed only once every two years due to the extended maternal care required. Mothers are fiercely protective and may attack humans who unknowingly approach too closely to a calf, especially near riverbanks. This maternal aggression is one of the reasons Hippos are considered one of Africa’s most dangerous animals to humans.
Geographic Range
Common Hippos once ranged widely across sub-Saharan Africa and remain present in 38 countries, though often in fragmented populations. Eastern and Southern Africa harbour the largest populations—particularly in Tanzania, Zambia, and Uganda. West African populations are increasingly isolated and endangered, including small numbers in Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau. Civil unrest, poaching, and habitat loss have devastated populations in countries like DRC and Mozambique. Some of the last hippos in West Africa reside in tiny enclaves of Niger,Burkina Faso, and Cameroon.
Threats
Common Hippos were already rare in Egypt by the time of the Renaissance. Although they were the subject of reverence for many ancient peoples of Africa including the Ancient Egyptians. From the end of the Roman Empire up until circa 1700, hippos still lived in the Nile Delta and in the upper Nile. Throughout the 1700s, records become increasingly scarce, and the latest definite records are from the early 1800s. Hippopotamuses face serious human-related threats to their ongoing survival.
Habitat Loss and Degradation
The rapid expansion of agriculture, damming of rivers, and industrial development has drastically altered freshwater systems across Africa. Hippos rely on permanent water bodies for thermoregulation and reproduction. When rivers are drained or diverted, or wetlands are converted into farmland, Hippos are cut off from grazing lands and breeding sites. In areas such as Ethiopia and Burkina Faso, increasing demand for water has fragmented habitats, forcing Hippos into smaller and more vulnerable populations (Jacobsen & Kleynhans, 1993; Brugière & Scholte, 2013). Without reliable access to water, Hippos suffer from cracked skin, heat stress, and reduced reproductive success.
Human-Wildlife Conflict
Hippos are responsible for more human deaths in Africa than most other large mammals. These incidents often occur when people fish or wash in rivers used by Hippos, who perceive human presence as a threat. Male Hippos are highly territorial and will violently defend their stretch of river, while females will charge to protect their calves. As Hippo habitats shrink, they are forced closer to human settlements, increasing encounters. Crop-raiding is also a growing issue, with Hippos destroying maize and rice fields during night-time grazing, leading to retaliation by farmers (Kanga, 2013; Mackie et al., 2013).
Illegal and Unregulated Hunting
Hippos are hunted for their meat, hides, and particularly for their canine teeth, which are used as ivory. Following the 1989 elephant ivory ban, the demand for Hippo ivory skyrocketed. TRAFFIC reported an increase in illegal Hippo ivory exports in the early 1990s, with thousands of kilograms seized en route to Asia (Weiler et al., 1994; TRAFFIC, 1997). During periods of civil unrest, such as in DR Congo and Mozambique, Hippo populations plummeted due to unregulated military hunting and widespread poaching. In some areas of DR Congo, over 95% of the Hippo population was lost within a few years (Hillman Smith et al., 2003).
Climate Change and Water Scarcity
Changes in rainfall patterns and increasing drought frequency due to climate change are reshaping African river ecosystems. Hippos, as semi-aquatic mammals, are particularly sensitive to drying water bodies. During the dry season, Hippo dung accumulates in shrinking pools, causing eutrophication and oxygen depletion. This not only threatens aquatic biodiversity but also affects Hippo health by concentrating pathogens and reducing water quality (Stears et al., 2018). Furthermore, rising temperatures and unreliable water flows increase the risk of human-Hippo encounters at scarce water sources, further escalating conflict.
Civil Unrest and Armed Conflict
In countries plagued by war or political instability, Common Hippos have suffered catastrophic losses due to unregulated military hunting and opportunistic poaching. During civil wars in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique, armed groups and soldiers slaughtered thousands of Hippos for meat and ivory. In Virunga National Park alone, Hippo populations declined by over 95% in less than a decade as rebel forces and militia targeted them with impunity (Hillman Smith et al., 2003). These environments of lawlessness eliminate enforcement of conservation laws, opening floodgates for the commercial bushmeat and ivory trade. In South Sudan and parts of Central Africa, similar losses continue today where violence prevents any formal protection or population monitoring.
Take Action!
Protecting Common Hippos requires urgent, coordinated action across the continent. Boycott palm oil and all industries contributing to wetland destruction. Amplify support for indigenous-led conservation of river systems and call for crackdowns on the illegal hippo ivory trade. Demand freshwater access for wildlife, not just profit-driven palm oil agriculture. #BoycottPalmOil#Boycott4Wildlife, be #Vegan for them and #BoycottMeat
FAQs
How many Common Hippos are left in the wild?
The current global estimate is between 115,000 and 130,000 individuals (IUCN, 2017). This is a decline from earlier estimates of up to 148,000, with significant regional variation—populations are stable or increasing in Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia but shrinking or disappearing in West and Central Africa.
How long do Hippos live?
In the wild, Hippos live around 40–50 years, and up to 60 years in captivity (Lewison, 2007). Their lifespan depends heavily on access to water, food, and protection from hunting or conflict.
Why are Hippos important to the environment?
Hippos are ecosystem engineers. Their nightly grazing maintains short grasslands, and their faeces fertilise aquatic systems, fuelling food chains and altering river ecology (Subalusky et al., 2014; Voysey et al., 2023). They shape riverbanks, widen channels, and transport nutrients between land and water.
Do Hippos make good pets?
Hippos are wild animals and they are not ideal for captive display in zoos or for private ownership. Keeping a hippo is both unethical and ecologically disastrous. They are wild megafauna that require vast territories, water access, and complex social structures. Their removal from the wild contributes to extinction and suffering. No one who loves animals should ever support the exotic pet trade or the Zoo trade.
You can support this beautiful animal
Donate to Virunga National Park which supports and protects a wild population of hippos.
Saikawa, Y., Hashimoto, K., Nakata, M., Yoshihara, M., Nagai, K., Ida, M., & Komiya, T. (2004). Pigment chemistry: The red sweat of the hippopotamus. Nature, 429(6990), 363. https://doi.org/10.1038/429363a
Stears, K., McCauley, D. J., Finlay, J. C., et al. (2018). Effects of the hippopotamus on the chemistry and ecology of a changing watershed. PNAS, 115(22), E5028–E5037. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1800407115
Subalusky, A. L., Dutton, C. L., Rosi-Marshall, E. J., & Post, D. M. (2014). The hippopotamus conveyor belt: vectors of carbon and nutrients. Freshwater Biology, 59(5), 965–978. https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.12474
Voysey, M. D., de Bruyn, P. J. N., & Davies, A. B. (2023). Are hippos Africa’s most influential megaherbivore? Biological Reviews, 98(3), 1242–1262. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12960
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More and more palm oil free 🦧 products in Australia 🇦🇺. Customer awareness is increasing month by month. Of course Bart Van Assen will keep pushing "sustainable" palm oil with Orangutan Land Trust. Boycott palm oil to protect wildlife! There is not planet B #boycott4wildlifepic.twitter.com/rm7chub5Rb
If possible to get Ovomaltine, please promote it among your friends. It openly advertises with 0 palm oil. No RSPO no bullshit. For me it even tasts better than nuttela. It substantiates that chocolate spread can be made delicious without filthy palm oil. pic.twitter.com/cyV5Tm3tLd
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![[Pictured] Begonia socotrana grows in between the shady cracks in rock formations on the arid island of Socotra, Yemen.](https://palmoildetectives.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/732px-begonia_socotrana.jpg?w=626)
![[Pictured] 'Diverse Species of the Rainforest by Oro Verde - the Rainforest Foundation (2009).](https://palmoildetectives.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/diverse-species-of-the-rainforest-deforestation-.jpeg?w=725)
![[Pictured] A critically endangered Sumatran orangutan by Craig Jones Wildlife Photography](https://palmoildetectives.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/sumatran-orangutan-close-up-by-craig-jones-.jpg)
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